Summary
A hollow retelling of Anna Nicole Smith’s heartbreaking life through the lens of people who do not have her best interests at heart.
The story of Anna Nicole Smith has been public knowledge for many years, and it’s been retold in a special documentary, “You Don’t Know Me.” When Smith was at her peak, the tabloids were starting to exploit the lives of celebrities. Fortunately for her, she became a big name on her own because of it.
The tabloids were never kind to any woman going through a life change or trying to gain some independence after being in the shadows for long enough. The timeline of the tabloids from Anna Nicole Smith to Britney Spears is very telling of what one’s public image can do through the perspective of the paparazzi and not that of the actual person.
Smith wanted to be famous, and she got her wish, but back in the 90s, it was a different time for fame. Many would feed into the tabloids to remain relevant.
This documentary features never-before-seen footage of the iconic Playboy and Guess Jean model. Anna Nicole Smith lived a very sheltered life in Texas, and this documentary explores what happened to her.
She was eager at first to move out of the city and become a star, but her childhood trauma stayed with her, and she turned to drugs to heal that side of her.
When Smith was younger, she was the most beautiful girl in her small town; for that, she was glorified and abused. She was sexually abused and also locked up because of her family’s religious beliefs. Smith knew that people loved and adored her, and once she got to the top of her game, her ego got the best of her, and she slowly declined.
This documentary is good because of the never-before-seen footage of Anna Nicole Smith. Even though many have known her story for years, some moments change the perspective on who she truly was.
It’s bad because Smith could not speak for herself, and this documentary painted her in a poor light. The dialogue when speaking about Smith is condescending and heartbreaking, really. Everyone who was interviewed claimed to have her best interest at the time, but the way they spoke about her in this documentary just seemed distasteful.
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me (Credit – Netflix)
This was not done in good faith to tell her story but just another ploy to use Smith’s fame to get money on behalf of her.
Apart from the new footage, this doesn’t expand on the story everyone knows. It does play as a generic documentary, and because it felt like they were taking cheap jabs at Smith, it was more uncomfortable than anything to watch.
The heart to protect Smith and her image wasn’t there in this documentary, and it’s unfortunate.
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