'Janet Jackson' tells the singer's story, but it's clear who's in control
CNN
Janet Jackson gave a documentary crew access for five years, but with Jackson and brother Randy Jackson serving as executive producers the resulting project, "Janet Jackson," feels too conspicuously like a licensed product. Addressing some uncomfortable parts of her biography but sidestepping others, it's pretty obvious who's in control here.
To be fair, plenty of celebrities have been the subject of mostly adoring documentaries, and Jackson has the musical resume to justify such adulation. But few artists come with as much family baggage and history, from the domineering nature of patriarch Joe to the allegations against her brother Michael (detailed in the 2019 documentary "Leaving Neverland"), whose shadow, it's noted, also hovered over her even as she achieved solo stardom.
Jackson explains the "why now" aspect of this two-night Lifetime presentation (only the first half was made available) by saying, "It's just something that needs to be done." The timing comes after a New York Times documentary about the singer's Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction," which highlighted the unfairness of that event and its aftermath in a way that was highly sympathetic to Jackson.