Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)

This documentary goes behind the scenes with pop provocateur Lady Gaga as she releases a bold new album and prepares for her Super Bowl halftime show.

Director:

Chris Moukarbel

Stars:

Sandra Amador, Michael Bearden, Tony Bennett

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sandra Amador	...	Self / Stylist
Michael Bearden	...	Music director
Tony Bennett	...	Self
BloodPop	...	Self / Music Producer
Barbara Bush	...	Self - Guest Super Bowl
George Bush	...	Self / Guest Super Bowl
Bobby Campbell	...	Self / Gaga's Manager
Sonja Durham	...	Self
Lady Gaga	...	Self
Andrea Gelardin	...	Self / Creative Director
Marlene Gerais	...	Self / iHeartradio Listener / Fan of Gaga
Cynthia Germanotta	...	Self / Gaga's Mother
Joanne Germanotta	...	Self (archive footage)
Joe Germanotta	...	Self / Gaga's Father
Natali Germanotta	...	Self / Gaga's Sister

Storyline

The documentary pulls back the curtain to introduce the woman behind the performer, the costumes, the glitz and the glamour. Off-stage, in the studio, unplugged and at home, audiences get an unguarded glimpse at Gaga through a series of personal highs and lows and the culmination of a year's emotional journey. From struggles with relationships to health issues, from finding solace in her inner circle to conquering her insecurities, Gaga: Five Foot Two navigates the divide between life as a superstar and life as an everyday woman.

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Plot Keywords:

pop | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lady Gaga hadn't seen the documentary in full until its world premiere at the 42nd Toronto Film Festival.

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Goofs

Reflection of cameraman visible in panning shot of New York skyline a few seconds after the mosh-pit filming scene.

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Quotes

Lady Gaga: I just want Madonna to throw me up against the wall and kiss me and tell me I'm a piece of shit.

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Connections

References American Horror Story: Chapter 4 (2016)

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Soundtracks

Ceaseless
Written and Performed by Patrick Belaga

User Reviews

Nothing personal

I don't know what went wrong. I'm not a huge fan of her music, but any documentary that involves artists and music usually pass as "good" to me. People have criticized Gaga's personality, mentioning how she comes across as self-absorbed, and how this documentary is just an act of self-indulgence. For me, the biggest issue was how this documentary seemed to promise real "intimacy" with a world-famous superstar, and gave none of that.

How can you judge someone's personality on this material? I know she just compared making music with having open heart surgery,(??) and she does seem to be oblivious to other people - but maybe it was just an attempt to get enough material about her, so that she could finish the damn documentary. She didn't seem into it at all.

The intense music, the artsy slow-motion camera, Gaga being massaged, Gaga with her family, Gaga feeding her dogs; it seems as if though every single person on the crew tried their very best to suggest something deep, but it all amounts to nothing. It is probably the most forced documentary I have ever seen.

Early on, Gaga complains about sexism in the industry, and how she's forced to always be sexualized; and that, in order to not go crazy, she'd always manage to "twist" things just a bit - add an obscure element on her shows, like blood - in order to feel like she was in control. Did she not feel in control when she made this documentary? Because all you get from her, is a few blanket statements, repeated over and over again with different choices of words. Yes, you'll get to see her exhibit authentic state fright, and you'll see her in physical pain, but most of all, you will see her talking about deep stuff in a shallow way, or watch her dance around in skimpy Instagram outfits, with brows to match.

Maybe she really does have nothing else to offer - I have seen people's brains and empathy slowly melt away before, simply because they couldn't smoke weed in moderation. And everyone knows what fame does to one's sense of self. But maybe Gaga just didn't feel like giving what it takes for a documentary like this to be good. Maybe she thought that if she just talked about women's issues in front of her stoned friends - who are either bad actors, bad friends, or simply hated how staged it was - and maybe if she had enough conversations about nothing,(but they all end with a hug!) it would come across as if she actually let us in close.

Well, she didn't. It just comes across as a failed experiment.

Details

Official Sites:

Netflix [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gaga: Five Foot Two

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Live Nation Productions, Mermaid Films II, Permanent Wave

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1