Martha Stewart, a reigning queen of modern etiquette, adhered steadfastly to the timeless wisdom that "honesty is the best policy" while voicing her critiques on a newly unveiled documentary chronicling her life journey. During an interview with The New York Times, Stewart commended the initial segment of Netflix's "Martha," yet described the remainder as somewhat "slack in its execution." Over the phone, she conveyed to the newspaper that the film lacked vibrancy and lingered excessively on her prison ordeal.
"The trial and subsequent incarceration amounted to less than two years of my 83-year lifespan," Stewart remarked. "Frankly, I viewed it as a respite, a brief vacation from reality."
Stewart's conviction for perjury regarding a stock sale in her 2004 insider trading case led to a five-month prison sentence and two years of supervised release. In contrast to her later comments, in 2017, Stewart had described her federal incarceration as a "terrifying ordeal," emphasizing that nothing about it was positive.
Among her primary grievances was how the documentary filmmaker, R.J. Cutler, portrayed her in an uncomplimentary light. She disputed his choice of unflattering camera angles, insisting that Cutler had deliberately selected the "most unsightly" ones.
Furthermore, Stewart felt that her final scenes, depicting her recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon, lacked necessary context. "Those last scenes showing me as a lonely, hunched-over old lady wandering in the garden? I expressly told him to scrap those," Stewart lamented. "But he refused. I despise those scenes. Absolutely loathe them."
It seemed that Stewart envisioned the film incorporating more whimsical anecdotes from her life and adopting a lighter tone, even extending to the musical score. She apparently suggested to Cutler that rap music, like Dr. Dre's works or those of her good friend Snoop Dogg, should be an "indispensable" component of the documentary.
"Instead, he opted for some mundane classical music that has absolutely no resonance with me," she grumbled.
Cutler did not promptly respond to a request for comment. He had previously told the Times that while he was proud of the film, he wasn't surprised that it was challenging for Stewart to view certain aspects objectively.
Despite her reservations, Stewart noted that many women had approached her to commend the retrospective on her life. "And that's what I cherish most about the documentary," she said. "It authentically portrays a strong woman who stood her ground, endured harrowing experiences, and tasted immense success."
