User reviews

The tall, busty Texas GUESS girl was the "IT GIRL". The sweet girl next door all of us in the south wanted to be. The higher the hair, the closer to god. Outspoken. Going for what she wanted. Frank about sex. Beautiful. Escaping a small town and family problems. In the 90s she was everywhere, so I guess if you didn't experience those years yourself and didn't see the effect she had back then, you're probably one of the negative reviewers. She's no different than any of the modern Instagrammers, TikTok and YouTube wannabes. She was digging for gold long before any of the Kardashians. If she were around today like she was back then, she'd be a sensation! She tried to play the system and lost. The saddest part of it all is her kids got lost, too.

Well, I don't feel like it was a waste of time to watch this documentary. I also don't think I took a single thing away from that was new.

It was very obviously done in a way that was trying to make key players look completely innocent. There's absolutely no way that some of those closest to her didn't have a hand in giving her what she wanted.

Documentary did include some footage I had never seen before. There was also some touching photos of her with her children. It's just a shame that her life turned out the way it did, and that she had no one there to guide her. She just was so unprepared to handle that level of fame.

I remember Anna Nicole Smith from my childhood and she was really beautiful, almost in every magazine i was seeing her. She was really really famous. In this documentary i felt so sad about her. Story is so classic actually. Poor beautiful girl with some teenage problem and becoming a star immediately and after that unavoidable fact happens... Anna Nicole Smith lived fast and died young. Maybe she did choose this ending.so sad really sad.. I hope she is in better place anymore. I am happy to watch this documentary, in last years i really love Netflix documentaries. This is one of the best again. Watchable, recommended. Do not listen negative comments.

Gertrude Stein made that statement, rather offhandedly, about the place of her birth, which had vanished. The same can be said about Netflix's documentary "Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me." Although Smith is gone, she's not completely vanished, as a needless 116 minutes regretfully demonstrates.

Like Venus rising from the sea, or just grow'd like Topsy, she came forth from the dire straits of Texas to dazzle and dumbfound the masses. But don't look too closely for any deep truths or poignant lessons about life and death in her 7,884,000 minutes of fame because there's nothing there. Hers is a story no different from those of many vacuous beauties celebrated by the acquisitive for the inquisitive. Good looks, as the saying goes (and it goes for a good reason) are a dime a dozen. While a beautiful face can take one someplace far from the dusty plaines and crispy fried chicken shacks of Texas, it can take one only so far, and in Smith's case, not far enough.

The tragedy here is self-inflicted, although tragedy is maybe too big a word for so small a matter as the life of Anna Nicole Smith. Any parallels with the extraordinary career of Marilyn Monroe are entirely expedient and included here only to frame a narrative that has no other plausible basis for existing. Cashing her winning ticket in the genetics lottery may have gotten her face in print and provided the means for breast augmentation, but being photogenic without having any real talent is like getting all dressed up with nowhere to go. Except, apparently for Anna, only to wheedle her way into Southfork and land smack dab on the lap of wheelchair bound (eventually bedridden) billionaire J. Howard Marshall, who had by then when they met (at a strip club, naturally) reentered the id stage of his life for the instant gratification he had once gotten from breast feeding. In one inadvertently comical phone conversation (recorded for posterity and a future lawsuit), Smith coyly asks Citizen Marshall if he wants to see his "rosebud," which shows--although one doubts purposely--how anything relevant went over her head, like the use of that word.

Always seeming too much at home with sycophants, she was perhaps naive not to see (or maybe just playacting for cameras) that her shady biological father wanted more than the usual father/daughter relationship, or that her "attorney," Howard (dateless-at-the-prom) K. Stern, didn't have her best interests at heart (but knew he made for good television anyway)--and somewhere in the insanity lost sight of her troubled son. He's the tragedy in this meaningless story.

A statement in the epilogue, the purpose of which may not have been the filmmaker's intention, clarifies for viewers, once and for all, Smith's existence, in that her daughter Dannielynn "inherited nothing," nothing monetarily, but from her mother, getting nothing was always inevitable.

Vickie Lynn, who later became Anna Nicole Smith, had great ambitions. Her good looks and confidence helped her get out of her uneventful hometown in Texas, slowly making her way into Playboy and gradually, Hollywood. But her personal life remains an extremely sad one throughout. A conflicting childhood story, various boyfriends who were there for her body, an old-timer billionaire husband who funded her expensive lifestyle, a steady influx of drugs, a paternity case.. nothing's good in the conventional sense of it. Fame, wealth, and attention can only get us so far. In the end, your life purely remains YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. How you ride out that journey, with all its flaws and vulnerabilities, is on you. Knowing the eventual fate of her child Daniel and a shocking twist at the very end, only furthers the distance between Anna and the audiences. This piece is hard to like, even though it touches upon some important bits of her life, and questions at least some of the people in Anna's immediate circle.

No pun intended of course - fame, many want it, few can handle it. But it's not just about that, it's personal too. I have to admit, I was unaware of quite a few things. Not just her personality (her body - well everyone knew about that), but her motivation and her private life. That includes all of her family, parents but also her son.

She was larger than life and while she made great news/ratings, her personal demons were too big. Add issues women have to deal with normally, but get bigger when in the public eye ... that includes shaming of all kinds, especially her looks (weight), but also her behavior. People should mind their own business or try to help, not further drag people down.

She seemed sweet, determined, but also gullible and naive. Add pills to an already unstable individual ... and you know it won't end well ...

I never got caught up in Anna Nicole Smith's saga during the 90's. My appreciation for her (like others) never went beyond the physical. Saw her Playboy pictorials and then much much later her two action flicks, PB videos and movie exploits made about her life. I honestly didn't expect 'You Don't Know Me' to add anything new to the tale because frankly I don't think there's any deep secrets to be told. This documentary didn't change my view.

From growing up in small town Texas to her son Danny and then Howard J. Marshall onward to fame, stardom. Playboy, Guess jeans, appearances in legit movies, talk shows. Natural charm, love for the cameras, paparazzi. The reunion with her estranged father than went sideways. Prescription drugs, alcohol, a fondness for partying and the wheels slowly coming off. Howard K. Stern enters the picture, the reality show, her weight gain, a new baby with it's father in doubt. Danny dies and she passes soon afterwards at only 39 years old.

Everything here is well put together and flows nicely. A lot of the details are old hat, but the narrative is decent with interviews from people who've never spoken in depth about Anna or their roles in her life until now. It's a talking heads style of doc that uses footage from shows, home footage, Playboy or shot specifically for use in montages. Every topic is touched on in compact format rarely dragging on or overstaying it's welcome.

Put this two hour Netflix doc 'You Don't Know Me' in the curiosity category that will get views from lifelong ANS fans or those who think there's deeper meaning to be found when really there isn't. Her undoing was her own. You get sprinkles of new facts, but the end result remains the same. We love our celebrities. We love underdog stories, beautiful woman. Praising them where they're up, tuning in or kicking them when they're down.

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me is a documentary that offers a poignant and compassionate exploration of the life of an iconic yet deeply troubled figure. Delving beyond the headlines and tabloid sensationalism, this documentary paints a heartbreaking portrait of Anna Nicole Smith, revealing the vulnerable human being hidden beneath the glamour and tragedy. Through a delicate blend of personal interviews, archival footage, and candid testimonials, the documentary invites me to witness the complexities of fame, addiction, and the relentless pursuit of happiness.

At its core, the documentary stands as a testament to the power of empathy and understanding. It delves into the early struggles and hardships that shaped Anna Nicole's life, exposing the profound impact of poverty, abuse, and abandonment on her journey. By offering glimpses of her vulnerable moments and genuine aspirations, the film challenges our tendency to judge based solely on surface-level perceptions, encouraging us to dig deeper and embrace compassion for those whose lives have been marred by tragedy.

The strength of this documentary lies in its ability to humanize Anna Nicole Smith. It captures her longing for love, acceptance, and stability, revealing the underlying fragility that belied her vivacious and glamorous persona. Through intimate interviews with family members, friends, and colleagues, the documentary provides a multifaceted understanding of the woman behind the headlines, transcending the caricature often associated with her name. It is a stark reminder that behind the fame and fortune, there existed a complex soul yearning for connection and purpose.

"You Don't Know Me" skillfully explores the darker aspects of Anna Nicole's life, particularly her battles with addiction and the toll it took on her mental and physical well-being. The documentary handles these sensitive subjects with care, highlighting the relentless grip of substance abuse while emphasizing the societal pressures and personal demons that contributed to her struggle. By shedding light on the complex interplay between fame, addiction, and mental health, the documentary urges us to question our complicity in perpetuating cycles of suffering and to confront our collective responsibility to support those in need.

While "You Don't Know Me" is a moving tribute to Anna Nicole Smith, it occasionally leaves me longing for a deeper examination of certain aspects of her life. The pacing, at times, feels uneven, and certain moments could have been explored with greater detail and context. However, the documentary's underlying commitment to compassion and understanding mitigates these shortcomings, allowing me to forge a genuine connection with the human being at the heart of the story.

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me is a heart-wrenching and compassionate documentary that peels back the layers of a tragically misunderstood figure. It prompts us to reflect on our own judgments, biases, and the societal pressures that can contribute to the unraveling of a person's life. By illuminating the complexities of fame, addiction, and the pursuit of happiness, the documentary serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy and human connection. Through the lens of Anna Nicole's story, we are compelled to examine our collective responsibility to extend compassion to those who struggle, so that no one is left feeling alone and unheard.

Anna was leaving the house but couldn't find her hair crunches so she took off her thong and tied her hair up with that."

It doesn't go uphill from there.

Ms. Smith had good skin. She had good features that helped her be photogenic when slim. She had thick hair that bleached up nicely. All the rest was artificial. This we knew.

Was she as shallow as her image? Anything is possible. This show doesn't really answer that question. It seems Anna was very needy. She needed a lot of attention, a lot of what she considered love, a lot of money, a lot of drugs, and a lot of comfort food.

Regardless of her seemingly bad decisions, this is a sad story. I think she truly loved her son and his death was took much for her to bear. It is sad her daughter is without a mother. Hopefully the father is doing right by her.

I'd only heard of ANS through jokes about her looks, her lack of talent and seeing images of a heavily made up woman with a mass of peroxide hair and full figure.

This film was interesting as I like documentaries/ biographies, but I did not like the person portrayed here. It seems from an early age all she wanted was fame and money and planned to do anything to get it - some surgery and even befriending and marrying a very elderly man, and telling the most awful lies about her childhood. Her mum says, ANS told her "no one wants to hear good/happy stories, so making up bad ones doesn't harm anyone plus it makes ME money". Not a thought for her mum or family.

ANS was pretty as a teenage, but the hair and makeup barely hid a a very masculine face and square-ish jawline. She was not a natural beauty. It seems peroxide, eyeliner and glossy lipstick can make you famous - plus some 'glamour' photos. The scenes showing the supermodels of the time clearly defined beautiful classy women and those like ANS, who need accessories to look glamourous. The supermodels are in a totally different class.

There are some other strange people in this film Grabowksi and someone called Ashley who claims to have saved ANS's life. They were extremely difficult to watch.

Anyway, I felt very, very sorry for Daniel ANS's son. A scene at Christmas, with the elderly man in a wheelchair barely breathing. ANS holds a huge framed print of herself in some odd scanty Father Christmas outfit and Daniel says 'what is that mummy?'. Honestly the woman had no dignity. What that poor boy must have endured.

Also interesting was the scene with her on the telephone stating some film roles were in the offering (what is wrong with the world!) Imagine her in The Mask?

Something is very wrong when a person like this can become famous for nothing really, just an image and putting herself out there in the media. To be famous for being famous is a non-life.

The portrayal of Anna Nicole Smith fails to captivate. Despite a vast array of documentaries, this one adds little to her story. The film's focus on her life as a supposed gold digger and the questioning of her childhood narrative leaves viewers questioning its relevance. While it exposes inconsistencies in her past, it ultimately falls short of providing any meaningful insight or intrigue. Instead, it leaves audiences with a diminished view of her character, feeling that their time could have been better spent elsewhere. In other words This was quite boring, and if anything did nothing for her image whatsoever.

This doc is HORRIBLE!

It's painfully slow.

There is NOTHING new.

The interviews sound scripted and written to fit an agenda.

It's nearly two hours long but feels like an eternity because it's so dang bad.

It should have been entitled "Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Want to Know Me."

The doc is filled with a bunch of wanna be's you have never heard of. All of them are looking for their 15 minutes of fame bouncing off a grifter who's been dead for close to 20 years!

PLEASE, take some heartfelt advice -- treat this movie like it's the return of Covid and run! You will be very happy if you listen to me.

This film is toxic.

I am no more inclined to feel sympathy than years ago. There was no depth reqlly to her. Same storey but contrasted. You know the one about abuse but her brother said it didnt happen. I really wasnt convinced although i am sure something happened at some point that made her meaninglessly find identity in men or attention. I still loose respect her cutting qnd lying about the father of her child. You make mystakes, so you raised one on her own then to make it a goal for the other? I raised one on my own. Its not a goal and heaven forbid to repeat? Then add a dad and move somewhere to block another? All off. Like many things about her. What did she do to make an impact on this world? I came hopeful but felt less sympathy. She was always beautiful i will give her that. Better off bot made.