Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful is in theaters for one night only across the United States and Canada on June 12.
By Elazar Abrahams
I’m not a music critic. I don’t know how to parse production values, studio intricacies, or mixing boards like some reviewers can. What’s the process of judging an art form even more subjective than film and television? One’s personal music taste is really up to them. But when I received an advanced look at Miley Cyrus’ new visual album Something Beautiful, I was eager to accept the challenge of covering the unique film.
Something Beautiful is a 53‑minute adventure directed by Cyrus herself, along with Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter. It’s a companion to the pop star’s new album of the same name, soundtracking the 13 songs to trippy and elegant music videos.
Real fans of Miley have been knowing this for a while, but the woman is a legitimate rock goddess; so much more than what the masses know her for when she was a teenager, and far more developed as an artist than her “controversial” twerking-centric career stretch as she fought back against the Disney-branded image she found herself boxed into. Her 2020 album Plastic Hearts is a personal favorite, just as enjoyable as her more successful smash hits from years prior.
That gravitas is what carries Something Beautiful, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival on June 6, and screens in theaters for one night only across the US on June 12. A true opera this is not, so those expecting Pink Floyd’s The Wall or even Beyonce’s Lemonade might be disappointed. There are bold camera moves and cinematic techniques, glitter, and lots of strutting, but there’s seemingly no true connective thread behind any of the vignette-style music videos.
Cyrus is captivating. Extremely captivating even. Yet most of the hour is actually pretty simple in-studio performances of the songs, interspersed with some spoken word poetry. Knowing how committed some of Miley’s previous (to borrow a term from another prominent pop legend) “eras” were makes Something Beautiful disappointing in comparison, especially in the few moments where the visuals do go for something more avant garde.
Still, the songs are what to like here. “End of the World” and “Easy Lover” are disco-inflected, angsty anthems worthy of a spot on your summer playlists, while “More to Lose” and “Walk of Fame” function as reflective emotional ballads. The album is a good one, so it’s a shame that experiencing the visual component doesn’t feel remotely essential to it. Stans should still check it out, but they probably have their tickets already.
Find more information and tickets HERE.
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