Smith was a stripper and a Playboy "bunny" and model. Pictures show her topless and nude (frontal nudity below the belt isn't shown), as well as in a variety of sexy poses. She was described as a "sex goddess," a good lover, and someone with an "insatiable appetite" for sex. Enacted footage shows women in G-strings dancing and being watched or fondled by men in a strip club. Smith makes a joke about becoming famous without even releasing a "sex tape." She is said to have been trying to get pregnant with a male friend.
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Smith was found to have died of an overdose involving nine different prescription drugs. There's a lot of discussion in the film about her growing addiction to painkillers over the course of her adult life. A friend calls her "a full-blown drug addict." Her son, who was put on antidepressants, accidentally overdosed by combining that medication with his mother's methadone. There's discussion and footage of adults drinking alcohol at parties, and discussion of Hollywood parties fueled by alcohol, cocaine, and pills. A man describes allowing Smith's young son to consume more drugs and alcohol even though he was already on painkillers.
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People describe being physically and emotionally abused as children, including stepfathers raping a young girl, a mother locking her daughter up and beating her, and a father attempting to have sex with his grown daughter. A man describes how his father told him he raped his wife's young sister and threatened to kill his own son. Images show a breast implant surgery; later there's discussion of the pain of a ruptured implant. There's other discussion of chronic pain associated with back problems and fibromyalgia. The media and paparazzi can be very harsh with celebrities, in one case fat-shaming Smith when she gained weight. She later had an eating disorder and nearly died from dehydration on weight loss pills, according to a source. Beloved family members die.
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Smith traded in on her looks for financial gain, through work, public appearances, and a relationship with an elderly billionaire (said to be a love connection), earning her criticism as a "gold digger." Smith talks about the American Dream of owning land and building a house. Clips from some media outlets are shown, and prominent brands in the film are Guess, Playboy, TrimSpa, Jaguar, MTV, and the American Music Awards.
Diverse Representations
a little
Smith came from a small town and a low-income background. She was a high school dropout who cashed in on her good looks to rise to fame. A female friend says they were lovers for years. A few important Black figures of her time are seen in archive footage, like Arsenio Hall and RuPaul. Her Black bodyguard, known as Big Moe or Momo, cared deeply for her.
People can work to achieve their dreams and goals no matter their backgrounds. Fame is a double-edged sword.
Positive Role Models
very little
Smith is depicted as ambitious and astute in her endeavor to become rich and famous. She does seem to have used some people for her own ends or acted selfishly, especially once her addiction to painkillers got worse. She, too, was exploited for her appearances and sometimes undervalued, though some people in her life seem to have cared for her deeply. A boyfriend is accused of enabling her drug addiction. She accused both her mother and her father of abuse, but these stories are questioned by others. One of her lovers also describes abuse by parental figures.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that the documentary Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me details the model's difficult background and rise to fame, involving abuse, sex, drugs, alcohol, and death. There's also swearing in the film, including "f--k," "s--t," "ass," "hell," "bitch," "t-ts," and more. Smith was known as a "sex goddess," so the film has plenty of footage and pictures of her in sexy poses, topless, and nude (frontal nudity below the belt isn't shown). She's described by a former female lover as having an "insatiable appetite" for sex. Enacted footage shows women in G-strings dancing and being watched or fondled by men in a strip club. People describe scenarios of abuse and rape of children. Smith was fat-shamed and picked apart in the media. She had an eating disorder and died of a fatal prescription drug mix. Her son also overdosed on prescription drugs. There's discussion in the film about Hollywood parties fueled by alcohol, cocaine, and pills, and footage of adults drinking and partying. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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What's the Story?
ANNA NICOLE SMITH: YOU DON'T KNOW ME pieces together the life story of the celebrity model and actress through archive footage, interviews she gave while alive, and interviews with people close to her. One of the main sources is her former best friend and lover, who met her when they were strippers together in Houston. That was when Smith had just left her small town of Mexia, Texas, young son in tow, to try to make it big. From there, she was discovered and put on the cover of Playboy, and her career took off. The film delves into some of the different versions of events she and others -- including family members, employees, and friends -- have about her life, and considers the circumstances surrounding her death.
This documentary feels more sensationalistic than other recent celebrity docs, like Pamela: A Love Story or Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields. That may be because the subject of Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me isn't here to tell her own story, so the film has to rely on the varying stories of the people who knew her. But there's also a sense that director Ursula Macfarlane is digging for something new to reveal about her subject. The editing together of interviews and ominous music suggests an investigation. Whether the revelation is her lesbian lover, lecherous father, enabling handlers, or something else depends on how much you know going in. Frankly, it's probably only going to be those who already know and care a lot about Smith who will be interested enough to sit through this two-hour documentary.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how a documentary like Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me pieces together a full picture of a person's life through footage and interviews with others. Were there voices or perspectives missing in this film, in your opinion?
Some of the interviewees question Smith's own telling of events when she was alive. What effect does this have on the viewer? Who do you believe, and why?
Was Smith a victim? How so or not, and by whom?
According to the film, Smith's painkiller addiction seems to have begun after surgery and only got worse over the course of her adult life. How do people deal with addiction? Do you think the people around her contributed to her problem? Why or why not?
Smith's friend Missy describes the feeling of "empowerment" she and Smith, as women from less-than-privileged backgrounds, felt as strippers. Why?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
