Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl

The onslaught of negative engagement the distribution network is placing on this film is noted, but let's get to the crux of it all... it's magic

There's a story within a story here, one fantabulously more interesting than the necromacy of the early-00s It Girl era that dominates the first half. Not that I'm not here for a Gawker post mortem, but what could be ground for a really in-depth look at a very specific scene which emerged alongside a new form of surveillance and monetisation thereof fades into something else... rather than revel in the weeds we seek to learn and understand its creator, maker, Morgan. This someone else is what you can only see in the title once you read it through the prism of this deeply enriching interior story, of a plucky crestive with a gift for writing, obsessional focus, and fabulist tendencies, who infiltrated an alien world and made its leading swans dance their greatest dance. Kudos to Morgan Rose and to Zackary the director and fellow viewers disjointed by the internet feedback to this rather brilliant character study on a clearly unusual soul and woman.

I think Morgan is really pretty. I follow her on social media and she looks like an ephemeral goddess or like an exotic Asian Barbie doll.

I don't know why everybody else is stuck on being "misled" or this being two docs in one... I can't imagine how Morgan might feel with all this negative feedback, especially considering she's trans (men being "misled" liking her only later figuring out she presented differently before; the two in one concept, best of both worlds ts trope, etc She comes across as really thoughtful and well put together.

Maybe people are daft or are just secret Marxists because the synopsis and previews for the film clearly indicate some type of unmasking... not a deep dive into socialites or the early 2000's, that was just a jumping point for the audience to meet Morgan where she www at 17, and nothing more.... I mean for all the gripes I've read why did you people even watch the whole thing only to trash it because it doesn't compare to some 2 min trailer that has images of Hilton ad nauseam?

I agree the storytelling is kinda murky. Zackary Drucker's previous works always reveal a betrayal of the subject... they always end up like an emperor with no clothes... why she would constantly misgender Morgan and make the crux of the movie this "reveal" is... beyond me.

I used to follow PAP and James and the kid has been in transition for l two decades. This whole judging her thing is stale and I see the movie for what it is: a flawed portrayal of a beautiful brown girl who had to be framed by white blonde women and (what seems like) bashing by her friend (singular: one friend) and people assuming she's delusional, mentally unwell and all sorts of accusations... just to have her story told and they never told her story really. That's where the movie loses me and us.

I hope Morgan writes a book about herself or starts a tv series. I'd read or watch. Time for her story.

And that's my fault. I should've read the description provided here on IMDB instead of trusting the trailer I saw on Hulu.

I thought I was getting a documentary about the rise of the late 90s/early 00s "It" girls of NYC. We did get several minutes of that primarily focused on Tinsley Mortimer, who I really didn't know that much about back in the day. I was glad they didn't devote that much time to Paris Hilton, because I've seen enough of her story already, so it was good to learn about one of her peers. I kept waiting for the documentary to start dissecting the forces at work to make these girls happen in detail, but it never happened. Then it suddenly shifts to the story about the kid behind a blog about these It girls and their milieu.

This person's story (and I won't give away spoilers about their identity) just wasn't very interesting. They themselves came across as sad, depressed, insecure and still in search of their own identity. As one of their own friends observed, this person had their own reality, which didn't necessarily coincide with everyone else's. I don't mind an unreliable narrator in fiction, but prefer to avoid them in real life.

Overall, I felt the documentary could've been so much more. New York Magazine just did a big article with multiple covers about the "It Girls" of times past. I was hoping for something more about the history and the impact of It girls on the culture.

At first you think you're going to learn about the media obsession with NYC socialites in the 2010s, which I find interesting. It starts off OK seeming to be an overview of how people like Paris Hilton and pals blew up on the scene. I was expecting to hear more about all those girls and who they really were behind the parties and clothes. There are some interesting characters who share their stories in the first 40 mins. But that's all tossed in the garbage because apparently the Director didn't have a real vision for the story. The focus swiftly turns into being all about a striver from the Midwest who gains a brief entre into the NY gossip journalism scene. Things take a very unexpected turn from there, Involving theft, drugs, tons of plastic surgery, a gravity defying boob job, and hair as straight as an iron. It's not as interesting as it sounds.

Some of the facts seem distorted. All in all a few bad things went down, and people were hurt. But no socialites were harmed in the making of this movie. Bottom line it's not worth 90 minutes of runtime.

This is a wonderful documentary that provides a unique and fresh prospective on an industry where we often see the same scandals recycled again and again. Morgan Olivia Rose's story is one of the most compelling I've heard. This documentary does take a look at what goes on in the background to really make an "It Girl" but much more interesting is the life story of Olivia, who's writing is responsible for making several of the known "It Girls" of our time. Her story highlights a range social factors and the toll this industry takes on those both in and out of the spotlight. I would defiantly recommend watching this!