Olivia Rodrigo, the pop sensation whose world megahit “Driver’s License” put her profession within the quick lane in 2021, is, naturally, driving a automotive within the first movie about her life.
She makes the identical journey — Salt Lake Metropolis to Los Angeles — within the director Stacey Lee’s movie on Disney+ as she did to document her wildly well-liked debut album, “Bitter.” It’s a trek that places Rodrigo in a reflective state, and Lee’s mood-infused movie is tailor-made to attraction to the classic style of a Gen Z crowd that loves the grainiest of picture filters. Her topic’s ruminations really feel overstated when paired with a retro-chic visible palette, so there are appears to be like of intense longing that will make “Folklore”-era Taylor Swift proud.
However the extra Lee reveals Rodrigo gazing into the space, whether or not alone in a lodge room or atop a hill, the extra it looks like a director’s cue quite than an natural second that the digicam simply occurred to catch. Within the scenes the place Rodrigo is overtly sharing elements of her life that led to creating “Bitter,” authenticity appears to return extra simply.
As a efficiency piece, “Driving Dwelling 2 U” is an exhilarating and intimate showcase for Rodrigo, as commentary about her album’s tracks spills seamlessly, in musical-theater vogue, into “Bitter” tunes. Songs are newly organized and introduced in some breathtakingly scenic spots. It’s a movie that a minimum of succeeds in making you’re feeling that it truly is concerning the journey, not the vacation spot.
Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Dwelling 2 U (a Bitter Movie)
Not rated. Operating time: 1 hour 17 minutes. Watch on Disney+.