Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil
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Based on 2 reviews
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Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil is a brutally honest docuseries about the pop star's drug dependency, near-fatal 2018 overdose, and their reckoning with their traumatic past. Lovato and their family, friends, and staff describe the singer's rapid descent from their very public sobriety to taking heroin, meth, and more in the lead-up to their overdose -- and the anguish everyone involved felt at the time. The series spares no details, repeating many times that Lovato should have died -- and would have if they had been found just minutes later. Lovato's mother describes seeing her child on a blood-cleaning machine, with a tube sewn into their neck. Lovato enumerates the lasting physical impact of the strokes and heart attack they suffered. Lovato also talks about two rapes/sexual assaults. Many people in the series use swear words including "a--hole," "s--t," and "f--k" (which is bleeped).
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What's the Story?
Demi Lovato was one of the world's biggest pop music stars in the summer of 2018, when they're shown on their "Tell Me You Love Me" tour, racing through venues in elaborate costumes to play to huge crowds. On the phone, their mother says, "I think this was the best show you have ever done, and it's only gonna get better from here." Then this text appears: "One month before overdose." The docuseries DEMI LOVATO: DANCING WITH THE DEVIL includes clips from the 2018 tour's shelved documentary, in which current-day Lovato says they were sharing only "the tip of the iceberg." Lovato sat down to film this follow-up documentary in the spring of 2020; this time around, they and all the participants are shown agreeing to tell the full story. Clips from the 2018 production offer glimpses into Lovato's life and state of mind, and we know what's coming on July 24, the day they overdose (shown mostly in sparely drawn animations). In the docuseries' four episodes, Lovato and other interviewees dig into their painful past, recount the night of their overdose in detail, and explore their hopes for the future.
Is It Any Good?
Watching Lovato and their sisters, parents, friends, and staff talk about their experiences with the pop star's addiction and how they supported Lovato is deeply affecting. Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil is a tough watch even beyond the singer's addiction and overdose -- your heart will ache for Lovato as they remember their father, who was abusive to their mother and an addict himself, then died alone. Lovato has battled eating disorders since they were a small child in pageants, then struggled to maintain their image as a Disney Channel star. They recount sexual abuse both as a teen and the night of their overdose.
This is tough stuff that's valuable as a stark reminder that the Instagram version of a pop star's life isn't necessarily telling the full story. The overwhelming emotion of the first two episodes is grief -- of the parents who didn't see the signs Lovato was struggling, of the siblings who feared they would lose their sibling, of the friends who have nagging regrets about their interactions with the pop star. Lovato expresses abundant gratitude to their doctors, family, and others who support them -- and for the time that the COVID-19 pandemic allowed them to process their experiences. Viewers will be grateful that Lovato shared their story and hope that they're on a healthier path.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about celebrities sharing personal information in a documentary like Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil. What value does it have for the people involved? What value does it have for fans?
Did this documentary change your view of fame? Would you like to be famous? Why or why not?
TV Details
- Premiere date: March 23, 2021
- Cast: Demi Lovato, Dianna De La Garza, Madison De La Garza
- Network: YouTube
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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