Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012)

Fun "Part": Katy Perry stars in her own pop-doc.

“How can you ever be too cartoony?” giggles Katy Perry early on in “Katy Perry: Part of Me,” a breezily entertaining pop-doc about the highly popular singer known as much for her wacky costumes and colorful sets as for her string of number one hits.

The movie, a half biopic, half concert film, features an array of footage of the amiable 28-year-old pop princess—on stage performances, backstage meet and greets, interviews and candid moments—during several stops on her exhaustive 127-show tour in 2011. Along the way, it chronicles Perry’s meteoric rise from anonymous gospel singer to international superstar.

Directed by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz, the most notable revelation emerges in the backstory of how a young girl from Santa Barbara, Calif. somehow went from being the daughter of religious parents (her mother and father are both pastors at a Pentecostal church) to the widely beloved artist of such hits as “I Kissed a Girl,” the lyrics of which—with its hints of sexual liberation, erotic curiosity and provocative playfulness—doesn’t exactly scream god-fearing conservative.

And yet, when Perry talks about her musical inspirations—like the edgy Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, whose dark, angry work helped define the alternative rock movement of the 90s—it's clear that the pop diva’s style is less about shedding her religious roots than about being the next generation’s voice of female empowerment.

Less interesting in “Part of Me” are the moments that focus on Perry’s personal life, such as a short marriage to the British actor Russell Brand. The couple’s breakup occurs during the tour and accounts for a few maudlin scenes of Perry, now tear-stained and devastated, trying to pull her emotions together at the last minute before a show.

Still, just as the star's marriage seems to dissolve in a flurry of heartbreaking texts, supportive messages come streaming from a gaggle of followers on Twitter, in a neat juxtaposition that allows the film to say something about the way modern communication instantly links fans and celebrities alike.

Of course, there’s plenty of music to both satiate hardcore fans and impress casual viewers. Perry’s brand of engaging bubble gum pop doesn’t have the versatility or depth of Madonna (another of Perry’s idols), but it is polished and infectious.

Like a lot of artists, Perry seems to save her best for the concert setting, feeding off the audience’s affection and enthusiasm with a mix of energy, swagger and confidence that makes her shine as brightly as her big, blue eyes. Even though she performs in a childlike, carnival world of swirling pastels and cotton candy colors, the way Katy Perry owns the stage makes her act at once smart as well as sweet.