One of Netflix’s first big documentaries of this year made a big splash at Sundance and was released on the streaming giant not long after. Netflix’s Taylor Swift: Miss Americana proves to be an intriguing snapshot of the celebrity not just for superfans, but Swift neophytes as well.
It’s not every day that we get to see the curtain pulled back as far as we do with someone of Swift’s caliber. Here are some of the most and least surprising things from the Swift doc.
Most Surprising: Cats On The Piano
Taylor Swift’s unabashed love for cats is well known. But in one of the first scenes of the movie, we can see her playing a song on the piano with a kitten crawling over the keys at the same time. Anyone who has played the piano knows that it is difficult enough to play without anything but your hands to touch the keys. Having a kitten, as cute as it may be, crawl over the keys while you play either means you really love cats or you have a high tolerance for distracting things while you play.
Least Surprising: Eating Disorder
We’ll be clear here. This is not to say that Taylor Swift is any less deserving of our empathy here. Anyone who struggles with eating disorders deserves compassion and help. One of Miss Americana’s more salient points is that popstars are not immune to the same emotional and physical struggles we all face and we shouldn’t assume otherwise. That being said, this did not come as a huge surprise given the unrealistic expectations that are placed upon all women to be skinny in American culture. Swift is human, too, and shouldn’t be held to a higher standard even when the spotlight’s on.
Most Surprising: Kanye Incident Aftermath
When Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift in the middle of an award acceptance speech, it lit the entertainment news world on fire for weeks. Whether you cared about either musician was beside the point; who had ever just gotten up and interrupted a celebrity while receiving an award?
What’s most surprising about this incident is not that Swift believed that when people were booing West for getting on stage and disparaging her, the criticism was directed at her. It is not surprising that one would be very emotionally affected by another music artist coming up and saying you’re not deserving an award, but that Swift believed she was losing fans instantaneously over such an outrageous stunt was not what we expected to hear.
Least Surprising: Youthful Talent
Miss Americana begins with various flashbacks from Swift’s early days. While we were still impressed, we weren’t terribly surprised to see that even when she was 12 years old, she was performing and demonstrating her skills to crowds in her hometown. Swift signed her first recording deal as a teenager so it makes sense that her talent had to have manifested early in life. Swift doesn’t make it out to be all rosy either, though, so while we wouldn’t mind having her musical talents, we’re just fine not having the fame that often comes with it.
Most Surprising: Burritos
In a brief scene, Swift is seen talking with one of her co-workers in the studio asking him if he wants a burrito. This conversation eventually leads Swift to confess she had never had a burrito until a few years ago (approximately 2016?). While Swift grew up in Pennsylvania and Tennesse where burritos may not have been the most popular food, they have certainly not been a rarity in the U.S. Even if you don’t like them, how do you manage to get into your 20s without having at least tried a burrito? This is quite the feat, Taylor.
Least Surprising: Swift & Urie Are A Match Made In Heaven
Later in the film, we get to spend a fair amount of time watching Taylor Swift and Brandon Urie from Panic! at the Disco collaborate on their hit song ME! If any doubt existed that these two had anything less than a great time making the song together, this documentary puts that to rest.
Swift and Urie spend a lot of time discussing not only the particulars of the song itself but the eventual music video as well. They have so much fun doing it, you almost start to wonder if they’re doing it for the camera.
Most Surprising: Creative Influence On Music Videos
While most of her early music videos were pretty straightforward and lowkey, Taylor Swift’s music videos have become more and more bright and poppy. As she discusses the upcoming music video for their song ME! with Brandon Urie, it is fascinating to see how much of the concepts for that video are in fact her ideas, not those of some other creative producer. We knew that she has always written her own songs, but we did not expect to see that creativity extend into the production of her music videos as well.
Most Surprising: $1 Lawsuit
Taylor Swift, like way too many other women, is a victim of sexual assault. Miss Americana naturally takes time to address what the experience of her taking action against her offender was like. What was most surprising about this incident was that rather than sue her offender for an exorbitant amount of money that she would fully have the right to do so, she only sued for $1.
Yes, Swift has quite a high net worth and doesn’t need the money, but that didn’t need to preclude her from seeking further monetary damages. It speaks to her genuine desire to shed a light on the prevalence of sexual assault.
Most Surprising: Political Action In Tennesee
For most of her career, as many musicians are wont to do, Swift has made it a point to remain completely out of politics. We were surprised to see the behind the scenes process of Swift standing up to her overlords and flat out going against their advice to speak out against Tennesse congresswoman Marsha Blackburn.
Swift has had plenty of opportunities to go into the political foray before this moment and it was interesting to see why she chose Blackburn’s run for congress as her chance to speak out. For someone whose efforts to speak out against hate haven’t always been met with praise, it was good to see her genuine desire to try and make a difference with the voice she had.
Most Surprising: Beatles-Level Success
Love her or hate her, Taylor Swift has come to be one of the most prominent music artists working in the industry today. Even knowing that, though, it was still pretty impressive to hear a clip from The Graham Norton Show where he noted that the success of several of her albums is comparable to that of The Beatles. We knew that she was big, but making the same kind of music history as The Beatles is truly something. Even if Swift doesn’t have another hit ever again, that success is something she will always be able to point to.
