This Is Paris

2020 documentary film

Paris Hilton
Aaron Saidman

StarringParis HiltonCinematographyArlene NelsonEdited by

Aaron McAdams
Jill Woodward

Music byLara Meyerratken

Production
company

The Intellectual Property Corporation

Distributed byYouTube Originals

Release date

September 14, 2020 (2020-09-14)

Running time

110 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

This Is Paris is a 2020 documentary film produced by YouTube Originals about media personality Paris Hilton, including her experiences as a former victim of the troubled teen industry.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Plot

This is Paris is about Hilton's day-to-day experiences and shows previously unknown stories regarding her personal life.^[5] In the film, she reveals her experiences with being gooned, and the emotional, verbal and physical abuse she experienced while attending a series of boarding schools as a teenager.^[6] It also chronicles Hilton's professional trajectory, from the beginning to the present day, supported by interviews with family members and friends.

Production

The film was directed by Alexandra Dean, financed by The Intellectual Property Corporation and released by YouTube Originals. Dean was first contacted by IPC following the release of her previous documentary, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017). "They saw all these parallels between Bombshell and Paris", Dean stated in an interview with CNN, adding: "I thought Paris is definitely unseen and misunderstood. I mean, I didn't see her or understand her for decades. I definitely wrote her off. [...] She has a billion dollar empire. She runs it and whether you like it or not, whether you like her or not, you have to respect that. It's not an easy thing to do. She does it almost solo. I saw that up close".^[7]

Despite not being prepared to disclose certain information, Hilton trusted Dean's approach and found the process of filming to be a healing space for her. She served as a producer but did not have artistic authority over the production, which she admitted was a big risk, since she always had "complete creative control" of her business ventures.^[1]

Filming took place between 2019 and 2020, in the United States, South Korea and Belgium, among other locations.^[5]

Reception

Viewership

This is Paris, released on YouTube on September 14, 2020, garnered over 16 million views in its first month of release.^[8] As of June 2023, the documentary has amassed over 76 million views on the platform.^[9]

Critical response

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the documentary has an approval rating of 63% based on 8 reviews.^[10] Two reviewers deemed it a successful "rebranding" of its subject's image.^[11]^[12]

References

^ ^a ^b Jackson, Angelique (September 14, 2020). "Paris Hilton Aims to Redefine Her Brand by Sharing Childhood Trauma in 'This Is Paris' Documentary". Variety. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
^ Kambasha, Michelle (September 15, 2020). "This Is Paris: Hilton documentary puts the reality in reality TV". The Guardian. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
^ Kaplan, Ilana (September 12, 2020). "Who Is Paris Hilton, Really?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
^ Szalavitz, Maia (September 19, 2020). "Opinion | Paris Hilton's new documentary shines a light on a shameful American industry". NBC News. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Goldsmith, Annie (August 24, 2020). "Paris Hilton Opens Up About Physical and Emotional Abuse at Boarding School". Town & Country. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
^ Yasharoff, Hannah. "After alleging abuse at her old school, Paris Hilton isn't backing down". USA Today. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
^ "How the director of 'This is Paris' reintroduced Paris Hilton to the world". 15 September 2020.
^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (22 October 2020). "UTA Signs Pop Culture Fixture Paris Hilton". Deadline.com.
^ "The Real Story of Paris Hilton | This is Paris Official Documentary" – via YouTube.
^ "This is Paris (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes.
^ "This is Paris Review – The Rebranding of a Celebrity Character". The Curb. September 22, 2020.
^ Moustakas, Tiffany (December 2, 2020). "What Is the Future of the Paris Hilton Brand?". Adweek. Retrieved April 13, 2022.