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Lights, camera, flop! Join us as we count down our picks for the most unsuccessful celebrity documentaries and docuseries that completely missed the mark! From critical disasters to box office disappointments, these films and series failed to live up to expectations — whether due to poor reviews, audience backlash, or simply saying nothing new about the famous faces at their center.
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00:00And so I just stuck with that. I just stuck with the working hard part, because I was the best
00:05at that.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most unsuccessful docu-films and series revolving around
00:12famous people.
00:13From critical disasters to commercial flops, these celebrity documentaries failed to live up to expectations,
00:19whether due to poor reviews, like-luster box office numbers, or audience backlash.
00:24Did you watch it?
00:24I did not, yeah. I will see it on the news.
00:28Number 10. Britney vs. Spears.
00:30The toxic singer's life and conservatorship have drawn much public attention over the years.
00:35Some people have called conservatorship the tantamount to a civil death.
00:39The 2021 documentary, Framing Britney Spears, offered an unflinching look at the same, and was widely acclaimed.
00:45When Aaron Lee Carr tried to address the same subject in Britney vs. Spears in 2022, it missed the mark.
00:51Britney Spears lacks the capacity to understand or manage her own financial affairs.
00:58Although the documentary underwent several changes to make sure it was different from Samantha Stark's work,
01:03it still felt derivative and was met with mixed reviews.
01:06Some critics appreciated the sincerity behind the project, but others asserted that it lacked focus and structure.
01:12Overall, it failed to make a splash.
01:14I know that there are a lot of voices I've heard from many different quarters that Britney is being held
01:23as a prisoner in effect against her will.
01:27Number 9. Miley the Movement.
01:29The Grammy-winning musician has led many lives.
01:32Miley the Movement zooms into her rebellious phase.
01:34It was released before her album, Bangers, dropped in 2013, giving fans a glimpse into the singer's creative process.
01:40But with this record, there's a lot of pressure because I hadn't had a record out in two years.
01:44As the title of the documentary suggests, it was supposed to be all about the making of a movement.
01:49However, critics argued it was too sanitized to be considered revolutionary.
01:53For me, a movement, it's really about all of us being on the same page like an army.
01:58The pop star comes across as genuine and dedicated, even addressing the controversy she stirred up after her performance at
02:04the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
02:07However, the lack of deeper insight kept the documentary from striking a chord with audiences.
02:11Got a headache.
02:13I do feel a big nod here.
02:15It hurts so bad.
02:16Number 8. Justin Bieber's Believe.
02:18Given the immense success of the Baby Singer's 2011 documentary, Never Say Never, a sequel focusing on his Believe tour
02:24was probably projected as a great idea.
02:26Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
02:29I feel like growing up, you know, there's a phase you go through when you think that the mustache actually
02:34looks good on you.
02:35But, um, it's delusional. It's all delusional.
02:40Justin Bieber's Believe was a major disappointment at the box office, even if it wasn't technically a flop.
02:45Commercial performance aside, it was also panned for saying nothing new about the pop sensation.
02:50We hardly get to know more about the human behind the artist, though there are fleeting moments of vulnerability.
02:55It's an extreme feeling.
02:57Being in the...
02:57Have you ever had heartbreak?
03:00Yes.
03:01By the end of the film, he's still perched atop the pop pedestal, and that's one of the reasons why
03:05critics weren't too impressed.
03:07We're gonna keep going through these, uh, these struggles and it's not gonna get any easier, but at the end
03:11of the day, he's worth it.
03:13Number 7. Rihanna's 777 documentary.
03:16Seven countries, seven days, seven shows.
03:19On paper, the Barbadian icon had a fantastic concept for this documentary.
03:24She'd be performing seven concerts in seven days in seven different countries across the world.
03:28I think this is probably gonna be one of my favorite things that I've ever done.
03:33Through these shows, she'd promote her sixth and seventh studio albums, Talk That Talk, and Unapologetic.
03:39Even more interestingly, she would be joined by a group of lucky fans and journos on this ambitious trip aboard
03:45the Boeing 777.
03:47Unfortunately, logistics left the chat.
03:49One flight alone is by seven of them.
03:52I could care less.
03:53The hectic schedule led to Riri being sleep-deprived, while the media entourage reportedly resented her absence during celebrations.
04:00Travel disruptions were unavoidable, and most of the footage that made it to our screens was slammed for being subpar
04:05in quality.
04:06There was simply no saving this one.
04:08Tonight is the last show, so we gonna go all the time.
04:13All the day.
04:14Number 6. The Goop Lab.
04:16The public has a strange relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow.
04:19Fans love her for her extraordinary talent and timeless style.
04:22At the same time, critics have bashed her for living in her own bubble.
04:26My calling is something else besides, you know, making out with Matt Damon on screen or whatever.
04:31Her business ventures, especially Goop, have also been the focus of intense media scrutiny.
04:36The brand, which operates in the lifestyle and wellness space, has been linked to pseudoscience.
04:41The Netflix series The Goop Lab doesn't help its case.
04:44It does make me think, like, there's so much to unearth if I did it, you know?
04:49Despite claiming to entertain and inform, the show comes across as a vehicle for woo-woo theories.
04:54Topics covered include psychedelic substances, mediumship, and the battle against aging.
04:59Many critics perceive the content as questionable and lacking social accountability.
05:03Despite this, The Goop Lab earned two Critics' Choice Real TV Award nominations.
05:08You look at the team at Goop, everyone here, on some level, is a deeply successful person.
05:14Number 5. Polo.
05:15The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, co-executive produced this
05:20sports documentary for Netflix under the banner of Archwell Productions and Boardwalk Pictures.
05:25Unfortunately, it was a swing and a miss.
05:31It drew modest viewership, and hardly made the kind of impact the royals hoped it would.
05:35Rather than portraying Polo as accessible, which is what the pair were going for, the
05:40docu-series rendered the sport of kings decidedly out of reach.
05:47There wasn't much the everyday audience could connect with in the glossy world of elite
05:51players, like Nacho Figueras and Adolfo Cambiasso.
05:55Word on the street, according to the Daily Mail, was that Netflix was allegedly exhausted
05:59from collaborating with the Sussexes after Polo failed to gain traction.
06:06Number 4. Melania.
06:08Directed by the disgraced Brett Ratner, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by several
06:12individuals, this documentary is a portrait of the First Lady of the United States.
06:17Together, we like-minded leaders, we have a voice.
06:20The highly publicized project, estimated to have cost $75 million, follows Melania Trump
06:26in the days before her husband was sworn in as POTUS for the second time.
06:30Not only did it draw political criticism over the budget, but it was also protested against.
06:34Is it safe?
06:35It is safe.
06:36The film ultimately flopped at the box office, with critics describing it as uninspired and
06:40likening it to propaganda.
06:42Did you just see Melania?
06:43I did, it was amazing.
06:44What did you like about it?
06:48That's...
06:50Pretty good.
06:51Number 3.
06:52The greatest love story never told.
06:54I don't need to do any of it.
06:57I don't.
07:00But I want to.
07:01Back in 2024, a clip of Jennifer Lopez musing about being, quote,
07:0616 in the Bronx running up and down the block, went viral.
07:09The reflection from her documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, was supposed to be a
07:14relatable nod to her past, as a crazy little girl with no limits, all dreams.
07:18As this wasn't the first time J-Lo had opened up about her wild youth, the moment didn't
07:22resonate with audiences.
07:24Instead, they turned it into a meme.
07:26I like taking my hair out like this.
07:27It reminds me like when I was 16 in the Bronx, running up and down the block.
07:33Meanwhile, critics were unimpressed with how the film, which delved into the making of the album
07:37This Is Me Now, seemed carefully curated.
07:40Interestingly, the record and its accompanying musical, This Is Me Now, A Love Story, were
07:45comparatively more successful.
07:47Yes, it sounds like you guys still have work to do.
07:48Number 2, Anna Nicole Smith, You Don't Know Me.
07:52Director Ursula McFarlane's attempt at humanizing the skyscraper actress in this documentary
07:57ended up being self-defeating.
07:59Created with the help of archival recordings of Anna Nicole Smith, it explores the highs
08:03and lows of the former Playboy model's tragically short life.
08:06The world is infatuated with Anna Nicole Smith.
08:09It details her insecurities and struggle with substance use, as well as her interpersonal relationships.
08:14However, the film falters in its apparent mission.
08:17What you see in the public eye is a bombshell, but behind the scenes, it's a different story.
08:23Despite aiming to call out the media's unhealthy obsession with a 90s icon, it itself delves
08:28into the intense controversy surrounding her, making it a focal point.
08:32With limited fresh perspective, Anna Nicole Smith, You Don't Know Me, fell flat.
08:36Number 1, Pauly Short is Dead.
08:38While this is technically not a documentary, it just had to make the list.
08:42Tell them you're available.
08:49Not for long.
08:50Pauly Short is Dead, directed by the Encino Men actor himself, is a semi-autobiographical
08:55mockumentary about his rise and fall.
08:58At one point, the comedian stages his own death to generate publicity, though that part
09:03is thankfully fiction.
09:04I gotta go to VH1.
09:05Despite cameos by the who's who of the entertainment world, such as Pamela Anderson, Eminem, Ben Stiller,
09:11Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears, the film failed to find an audience.
09:15It reportedly made around $11,000 and was widely regarded as a spectacular flop.
09:21Everyone wants to be accepted.
09:22In other words, we all just want to be loved.
09:26Did you enjoy any of these documentaries despite their poor performance?
09:29Tell us in the comments.
09:30Tell us in the comments.
09:31Tell us in the comments.
09:32Tell us in the comments.
09:32Tell us in the comments.
09:34Tell us in the comments.
09:34Tell us in the comments.
09:35Tell us in the comments.
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