Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl

(dir. Taylor Swift)

By: Adam Freed

Few entertainers harness the anticipation of sequined spectacle quite like Taylor Swift.  From sold-out international tours to sold-out cinemas, Swift has proven herself an unstoppable driving force in the musical global economy.  No stranger to box office allure, 2023’s Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour raked in a remarkable quarter of a billion dollars internationally by bottling the epic nature of her majestic globetrotting roadshow and delivering it to hometown audiences.  While The Eras Tour acted as a worthwhile celebration of Swift’s crowning achievement, Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl is a far smaller theatrical affair. At just under 90 minutes, Taylor Swift as director, offers her throngs of faithful fans an opportunity essentially read the album liner notes and witness the multipronged artistic process that resulted in the music video for The Fate of Ophelia, the initial track on Swift’s newly released album The Life of a Showgirl.  While the album may be shorter than a stones throw from being her best, its coinciding theatrical release fails to capture the bejeweled wonder present in Swift’s notable command during her live performances. The Official Release Party of a Showgirl wrings every ounce of footage out of a single music video, which airs at full length twice during the film.  The Fate of Ophelia is a dazzling musical feat featuring inspired filmmaking evoking readily identifiable moments from classic Hollywood and even a few delicate visual winks to contemporary directors Wes Anderson, Baz Luhrmann and Yorgos Lanthimos.   

While there is a possibility that Swift’s latest album will one day be considered amongst her greatest works, Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl is likely to be relegated to a forgettable footnote in the star’s immaculate career.  While the most devout of Swifties are likely to joyfully imbibe in each moment of the celebratory film, Taylor Swift the director relies far too heavily on repurposed kaleidoscopic footage acting as a backdrop for the entirety of the album’s visual run.  In its finest moments, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl is insightful and thematically revealing, but more often than not, watches like a 41 minute album stretched to more than double its length for the screen.  The film’s conservative offer of only one music video, and its coinciding behind the scenes content is meager when weighed in comparison to the seismic theatrical event that was The Eras Tour.  

Target Score: 5/10 -  There is very little about Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl that feels essential, rather presenting as a momentary glimpse into the intricate production of a singularly impressive music video.  Only those who pray at the altar of Swift are likely to find anything revelatory in the cinematic introduction to the latest album from the endlessly talented musical phenomenon.