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Taylor Swift: "Miss Americana"

My husband and I watched "Miss Americana" the night it came out--of course we did--and my concerns were maybe different from typical national concerns:

*On a private jet, Taylor Swift sits with her mother and comments on her mother's new dog. "That dog is the size of a horse," Taylor says. "The kids left the house, and Mom said, It's time to buy a horse-dog!" Anyone who lives with a writer will recognize what is happening here. Taylor--because she must, because it's genetically-encoded, for her--feels an urge to turn her mom into a madcap character, someone from a "Peanuts" strip.

And Mom replies in the way that only Mom is capable of: "This was my cancer dog," she says, quietly. "I decided to do what I want, when I found out about this cancer. I wanted the dog." (A bizarre, brief, haunting peak into the world of Alison Swift. And one wonders about Alison's marriage. Her time with that old white dude who disappears for most of the film, but who does pop up to warn his daughter to stay politically silent, "just like Bing Crosby." This! This is the direction I wanted to go in. This is the germ of the movie I really wanted to see.)

*The young screen legend Jennifer Lawrence has said that she sometimes stays awake at night wondering what really happened between TayTay and Karlie Kloss. And--yes!--THAT did need to be in the movie. I don't care too much about Taylor's political evolution. Or--sure, I care--but, like you, I could have sketched out for everyone the canned political plot of the documentary without having actually seen the documentary. (Were you really surprised by that Instagram scene?) A weird, probing look at Taylor/Kloss: This would have been revolutionary, and it would have held my attention. An opportunity missed....

*Taylor complains about ageism in the entertainment industry--and, yes, this is clearly a problem--but then Taylor releases a puzzling political anthem: "Only the young! Only the young can run!" The line seems to refer to political change: Only the young can run campaigns--run movements--run revolutions? But: who says? Wouldn't an anti-ageist Taylor want to say, EVERYONE can run! --???? This is how I spend my time.

Anyway, the movie is fine, I guess? Recommended? Keep an eye on Alison and her dog.....
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