See this doc for Billie Eilish’s life, not the songs.

The first time I’ve heard about this 19-year-old singer Billie Eilish is when her hit song “Bad Guy” played during the end credits of “Brightburn,” a dark superhero guilty pleasure of mine, and I’m still sticking to my guns on that film. I admire that song for its electro-pop atmosphere, gloomy ambiance, and the way she sings “I’m the bad ggguuuyyyyy. Duh.” “Bad Guy” has been popular since 2019, so it’s no duh it would appear in the new documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” which premieres in select IMAX locations and on AppleTV+.

In the movie, she tells her fans how she collaborates with her family on her music, how she always hated writing songs, how she had a crush on Justin Bieber, how she loves her fans, and how she has Tourette syndrome. This is why she makes certain movements with her head, why she insults her mother, and why she drops the F bomb a lot. I acknowledge how in movies and shows, you’re supposed to use that word with sincerity and emotions, and not because you’re in an R-rated movie (“The Happytime Murders” and “Coffee & Kareem” learned that the hard way by the way). This girl is sincere.

I’m not much of a concert movie guy, so watching this on my AppleTV account, I skipped the music segments, because they take up parts of the movie. I would have rather have them as examples as seen in many other music docs. However, I was interested in listening about the life the singer has. She looks like a druggie musician with her blue hair, attitude, and dialogue, but she’s a neither a wreck nor a druggie. She proves to fans that she’s a human with vulnerabilities and love.

“Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” was written and directed by RJ Cutler, who also made one of last year’s best docs “Belushi,” which focused on the life and times on John Belushi. Here, he captures the young singer’s truth and passion, and allows her to commit to her fans and herself. She claims she wants to better herself and the people around her, and she presents herself in a poetic aspect.

The movie is also filled with real emotions that make you feel sad and glad, depending on what Billie and her fans and family have to offer. Sometimes, she chokes on stage due to a strained ankle, sometimes, she gets pressured at meet & greets, and she struggles to take advice about how to make her life better. But no matter the odds, she always manages to pull through, and that’s what we expect out of people. She’s not just a celebrity, but also a human, and that’s what this doc conveys.

In IMAX Locations and on AppleTV+

Categories: Biography, Documentary, Music