What Are Critics Saying About Queen B's Documentary?

Posted February 14, 2013, 9:15 am   •   by Andy Scott   •   0 comments

"Raw. Real. Revealed." That is how HBO has billed Beyoncé's no-holds-barred autobiographical documentary, Life is But a Dream. So does it deliver?

Executive produced and co-directed by Beyoncé, the documentary pulls back the curtain on the chart-topping, multi-platinum, Grammy-winning singing superstar, giving a glimpse of her true self through 90 minutes of childhood home videos, candid laptop confessionals, and behind-the-scenes footage in the recording studio and of rehearsals.

Providing the sole perspective in the HBO special, Bey broaches previously shrouded personal matters, from her four-year marriage to hip-hop mogul hubby Jay-Z and professionally parting ways with her father Matthew Knowles on the eve of her fourth solo album, 4, to suffering from a miscarriage and fielding rumors of her feigning her pregnancy before the birth of now one-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.

While some reviewers are slamming the documentary for falling short of real revelations, others praise it for bringing Beyoncé down from a pedestal, stripping away the flawless superstar facade to reveal her human side. Oprah Winfrey, for one, raved about Life is But a Dream.

"[It] is so fiercely empowering," the former Queen of Talk, who will air her Beyoncé sitdown on OWN Saturday, told CNN. "She shocked me, I was in tears.... She did an amazing job... I think this documentary is a game changer."

The documentary follows on the heels of her spotlight-stealing Super Bowl halftime performance and precedes her fifth studio albumand the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour — Jay-Z's real name is Shawn Carter — which kicks off in April with 40 performances across Europe and North America.

Before Life is But a Dream airs, check out what the critics are saying about the documentary.

Will you be tuning in to see Beyoncé on HBO this Saturday at 9 PM? Tell us why below.