Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour Live

Movie review by Grace Montgomery, Common Sense Media
Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour Live Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 10+

Behind-the-scenes concert docu with lots of celeb guests.

NR 2015 132 minutes
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Parents say

age 11+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 7+

Based on 2 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

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What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour Live is a concert documentary that mostly focuses on Taylor Swift's performance in Sydney in front of over 70,000 fans, complete with an impressive light show and a string of celebrity guests. The film also features interviews with Swift discussing the planning of the show and her inspirations and motivations behind the album 1989. There are some semi-racy costumes (cropped tops, booty shorts, and shirtless male dancers), some sexy lyrics (many of Swift's songs talk about adult relationships, and Nelly performs "Hot in Herre"), and Swift addresses her reputation for being a serial dater. Guest Justin Timberlake drops a few swear words ("ass" and "s--t"). But parents will appreciate Swift's focus on self-acceptance and teaching girls to have strong, supportive relationships and reject mean-girl clichés.

Community Reviews

js-61868
js-61868 Adult
June 22, 2020
age 15+

Superb concert production

[Please consider my age and up rating as "no-opinion"] Being an Australian, this is a proud moment with the Sydney large stadium featured. It reminds me of where I was at at the time, being 35, approaching summertime and the football seasons having finished a few weeks earlier. This was when football was a true sport of combatants - now it is becoming like basketball, with stoppages just because a flagrant foul was suspected. Times change, but it's nice to remember how things were sometimes - and the pop culture that existed around it. Heard in the commentary that the Red album finishing behind Daft Punk's one inspired a change. I found that Red on its own was difficult to understand the meaning/context of some songs, but combined with the concerts, made the album way better - as good as 1989 in my opinion.
JerryR1322
JerryR1322 Adult
July 24, 2018
age 9+

Inspiring film on how amazing the 1989 tour was

Taylor Swift is one of the biggest role models of today. From little boys to girls Taylor's music is truly universal for everyone. She tells the watchers to not be harmed by the opinion of people that don't matter to you and that shaking it off is the best thing you can do. Some language was used and there was scenes of shirtless men and Taylor in skin tight or revealing outfits but overall that isn't a problem.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour Live mostly focuses on the Sydney leg of Swift's world tour, where she performed in front of over 70,000 fans, all wearing programmed glow bracelets that were choreographed with the show. Clips of the concert are also interspersed with interviews of Swift discussing the planning of the show and her inspiration for her 1989 album. There are also clips of celebrity appearances, ranging from Mick Jagger performing "Satisfaction" to Selena Williams waving on stage and behind-the-scenes glimpses of rehearsals.

Is It Any Good?

Fans of Swift who weren't fortunate enough to catch her 1989 world tour will love seeing the wildly elaborate show. It boasts an impressive light show, great choreography, and a dizzying array of celebrity guests. Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour Live features most of Swift's 1989 album, plus some fan favorites from previous albums. Swift's performance is on point, and her celebrity guests are a treat, with every genre of music represented.

The behind-the-scenes glimpses are great, but it would have been nice to see even more of them and perhaps a few fewer celebrity cameos. But parents will appreciate Swift's heartfelt appreciation of her fans and her success and her message of self-acceptance.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Taylor Swift as a role model. Do you think she's a positive role model? Why, or why not?

  • Why do you think Taylor Swift is so popular? What is so appealing about her songs?

  • Do you enjoy watching recorded concerts? How is the experience different from watching a live performance?

Movie Details

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