Reel Review: Something Beautiful is Nothing More Than A Shallow Music Video Compilation Lacking a Clear Narrative

Miley Cyrus, one of the most famous modern pop stars, has released her ninth studio album Something Beautiful. Accompanying the thirteen track album is a fifty five minute movie featuring each track releasing in theaters for one night only.

Growing up in the prime of the Hannah Montana days, I grew up with Cyrus. Though I am a solid few years younger, I felt an attachment to her story and evolution, growing with the star both on screen and off. Being able to experience her growth as a musical artist and actor has been inspiring as she has been able to sustain her level of stardom for decades. Due to that, her music will always hold a space in my heart and this album has some undeniably great songs.

Something Beautiful, the movie however, fails to deliver a clear narrative in conjunction with the album’s lyrics. Each song is just a different variation of a beautifully constructed costume, bare bones set, and Cyrus singing directly to camera. While music videos seem to be having a bit of a renaissance, this movie feels utterly shallow and adds nothing visually or conceptually to the music.

In a world where everyone has immediate access to such intimate parts of celebrity’s lives, a music video or movie serves as a way to control the narrative and define or redirect the story delivered though song. Cyrus fails to do any of that and instead gives fifty five minutes of overly produced and rehearsed beauty shots with dispersed dance numbers. While other artists have nailed the ability to use a music video to launch a song to the top of the charts, it doesn’t feel like this movie adds any value to the album itself.

So much of modern success in music is due to one’s image. A clearly defined individual look allows artists to stand apart. Olivia Rodrigo and her punk rock aesthetic, Benson Boon and the sparkly jumpsuits, Ariana Grande and the high ponytail, Sabrina Carpenter and the blowout blonde curls, all of these specific traits add definition to the artist and enhances a specific aspect to their public persona. It seems as though Cyrus may have lost an element of personality and differentiation.

It is completely understandable that a celebrity of Miley’s caliber would prefer to keep her personal life more private after living through scrutiny for years, but her lyrics do open up to some very personal thoughts. Those themes are not reflected visually in any way through this film. Fans deserve more than just a pretty face when it comes to an hour long movie, and Cyrus fails to deliver.

Something Beautiful plays in theaters for one night only on June 12.