Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl

This seems to be a total vanity project - done by I have no idea, with the viewpoint of I have no idea. A few reviewers have said this isn't what they expected. That's exactly what this is! Not what anyone expects. You cannot figure it out since it isn't any one thing. It does follow and praise Tinsley Mortimer a LOT. She seems to be the It Girl on that side. Then there is the Other side of It. Now THAT's the real It Girl. The story behind her is as fuzzy as all the other It Girls. (The ones we all know if we are watching this "documentary") I actually wanted to know more about her and how she got to where she was. Unfortunately, as with the rest of this "doc", that story, too, is lacking. HOWEVER - I most certainly wish her well.

This is a wonderful documentary that provides a unique and fresh prospective on an industry where we often see the same scandals recycled again and again. Morgan Olivia Rose's story is one of the most compelling I've heard. This documentary does take a look at what goes on in the background to really make an "It Girl" but much more interesting is the life story of Olivia, who's writing is responsible for making several of the known "It Girls" of our time. Her story highlights a range social factors and the toll this industry takes on those both in and out of the spotlight. I would defiantly recommend watching this!

At first you think you're going to learn about the media obsession with NYC socialites in the 2010s, which I find interesting. It starts off OK seeming to be an overview of how people like Paris Hilton and pals blew up on the scene. I was expecting to hear more about all those girls and who they really were behind the parties and clothes. There are some interesting characters who share their stories in the first 40 mins. But that's all tossed in the garbage because apparently the Director didn't have a real vision for the story. The focus swiftly turns into being all about a striver from the Midwest who gains a brief entre into the NY gossip journalism scene. Things take a very unexpected turn from there, Involving theft, drugs, tons of plastic surgery, a gravity defying boob job, and hair as straight as an iron. It's not as interesting as it sounds. Some of the facts seem distorted. All in all a few bad things went down, and people were hurt. But no socialites were harmed in the making of this movie. Bottom line it's not worth 90 minutes of runtime.

Based upon the trailer Hulu put out on Instagram, I thought this movie would be a walk down memory lane, focusing on the famous faces featured in tabloids and fashion magazines in the early 00s. Not so much. While the likes of Tinsley, Paris, and Olivia are mentioned, the movie is actually about an obsessive and delusional blogger who wrote about them, imagined himself a part of their world, developed a drug habit, became infatuated with his straight drug dealer, and then became transgendered. Once I realized the film's subject matter wasn't as advertised, I quit watching. Don't waste your time.

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source: Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl

As "Queenmaker" (2023 release; 93 min) opens, we get an It Girl 101 mini-history lesson, which inevitably leads up to Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Along the way, we learn that publicists have a great deal of power, as well as the inevitable blods that start popping up,,, At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary. Couple of comments: first, please do not confuse this with the South Korean TV series of the same name that appeared on Netflix not long ago. Second, this US documentary is directed by multimedia artist Zackary Drucker. Third, and this is the most important comment: this documentary is really two-films-into-one: the first one last a good one-third of the documentary, and gives a straight up overview of the New York It Girl universe and all that it entails; the second one runs the remainder of the film and examines who the creator was behind the influential NY It Girl blog called Park Avenue Peerage. The New York Times then drops the bomb when it identifies the person behind the blog. I won't say another word. Just watch. How these two separate movies are stuck into one is a bit of a headscratcher to be honest. I literally was about to abandon the film altogether as I was not interested in the It Girl scene. Turns out the movie is about some else altogether. Which brings me to my last, but not least, comments: the title of the documentary, as shown in the film's opening credits, is "Queenmaker", nothing more, nothing less. It's not "Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl", as noted here on IMDb and many other sites. This is really annoying. Like we need to be explained what the movie title REALLY means. We are not dumb. We can figure it out. (This also happened with the recent Michael J Fox documentary, which is titled per the movie's opening and closing credits "STILL", but for whatever reason, the movie is now known everywhere as "Still: A Michael J Fox Movie". Stop it already, and show some respect for the moviemakers decision on the actual movie title.) "Queenmaker" started airing on Hulu recently. I had read a positive review of it in the New York Times last week, and that was enough for me to want to check it out. If you are in the mood for a documentary that takes an unexpected turn left, and then keeps going even more off road, I'd suggest you check it out and draw your own conclusion.

After watching the trailer, I was excited to see a doc about the Y2K socialite era, how they climbed to the top, some scandal and where they are now... Well...the first like 15-20 focused on that a little...mostly on one specific socialite. Then like the flip of a switch, the documentary shifted to a completely different story...about some forgettable gossip/socialite fan girl site, and the "writer" behind it. You could tell by the way they introduced talking about the site, the people who created the documentary were a little biased. The whole story that wasn't addressed in the trailer at all about the writer moving to the big city, getting an great job, only to squander their money and good luck on obsessing over a drug dealer they fell for, while obsessing over New York socialites, and the world they'd never be in...The pathetic "off camera" scene with the director comforting the writer, while she broke down, was ridiculous. The writer themselves droned on and on in an awful monotone slow whisper, it was super cringey. The only where are they now I got was the sad writer...they're now a trans sex worker...literally the worst documentary I've ever seen. They should at least change the trailer, and show what this doc is ACTUALLY about...

This started out strong in that it promised spillage of some piping hot tea, but ends being a devastatingly sad story about how Morgan had this huge glow up but then still blows the chance of living out her dream of being BFF with Tinsley by saying that she doesn't want to be a part of the "socialite" life. Really makes me feel so sad about Morgan being too insecure to go live her best life, like her literal fantasy, in real life. And I'm not sure why Tinsley agreed to be a part of this? I have so many unanswered questions, but I have no idea who most of the "famous" people in this were. Like what was I supposed to take away from this movie??

And I'm not an unworldly person, but other than the unavoidable Paris Hilton, I never paid much attention to that social scene. Never heard of Tinsley Morgan or James Kurisunkal, now known Morgan Olivia Rose. Going to six parties a night? I never knew the fake fame business could be so rigorous. If these folks are raising money for charity, they are spending a lot time and money on themselves doing it. As for this documentary, since I wasn't too familiar with it, I found enlightening the amount money and time poured in cheap banal vapidness. At least Capote did the Black and White Ball. However, this film never focuses. The filmmaker doesn't want to critique or alienate that world too much and it takes a while before we realize the sultry narrator is a transwoman who made her way into that world as a bright, young college kid from Illinois. And it's a transform shocker. Kudos to Morgan. She at least looks like the women she once glowingly wrote about. Morgan née James, is the best part of film, but her literate narration and insight is not enough to offset Tinsley Morgan's self absorption. The old Southern deb claims she wants to be real housewife, not a "Real Housewife." I don't believe her. The film narrative itself is all over the place and glosses over the history of the earlier socialite world mixing with plebs. I'm thinking of Edie Sedgwick. Even so, it is still fascinating look at something I've tried hard to ignore to my own ignorance. This time period takes place just before the big internet 15-minutes fame hit, when anyone has a shot at becoming a pseudo-celebrity and influencer. This presentation of a fab public image is the the cultural norm. It's all flash and what is substance. Morgan thinks she should be an internet influencer, but I daresay this was filmed before the Bud Light "Crisis." I hope things turnaround for Morgan Rose, just judging by her prose narration, she's a good writer. If Hulu or someone else hasn't signed a book deal with her, they should.