Since Taylor Swift released her “The Eras Tour” film, pop fans have been dying for more concert films of their favorite artists. For Olivia Rodrigo fans, seeing signs that said “Filming inside” at stops on her Guts world tour set them off. Another concert film was coming, but would it live up to the hype?
While some know Rodrigo from her early acting career in “An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success” or her three-season run on Disney Channel’s “Bizaardvark” as Paige Olvera, it was her debut album “Sour” that pushed her into the limelight. Featuring songs such as “Drivers License,” “Deja Vu,” and more, songs from the album became hits on TikTok and netted billions of streams on Spotify and other streaming services. She went on her ‘Sour Tour’ for only four months, but in February of this year, Rodrigo shifted support to her 2023 follow-up “Guts” with a tour featuring hits such as “Bad Idea Right?”, “Get Him Back!”, and songs from “Sour.”
Similarly to “The Eras Tour,” some songs were cut, meaning that the Guts film does not include every song Rodrigo performed during the tour. One of the most noticeable omissions is “Can’t Catch Me Now,” which was featured in “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” Other noticeably missing songs were songs such as “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” and “Hope UR ok,” each from the “Sour” album, along with ‘Girl I’ve Always Been’ and ‘Stranger’ from her extended version of “Guts” called “Guts (spilled).” While she could’ve featured some of these songs, too, she may do what Swift did and create another version featuring never-heard songs similar to Swift’s “From the Vault” tracks.
For many, the appeal of the concert goes beyond the actual performance. A number of fans online are “obsessed” with the behind-the-scenes parts of the film, which feature Rodrigo working out before every performance. I would agree with these fans as it’s awesome to see some support for more than just the performers. The dancers, the backstage crew, and all of these workers who helped put on the nice show deserve love, and it was nice to see them get it.
Fans have also turned her backup dancers’ dance for the song “Love is Embarrassing” into a TikTok trend not long after the tour started, long before the film came out. TikTok noticed at the end of Rodrigo’s Los Angeles, California, show, she held up a crumpled piece of paper written on it that said, “Thanks for watching!” All the funds went to her non-profit organization “Funds 4 Good” at this same show, which pitches itself as being “committed to building a future for women and girls through the support of non-profits that champion girls’ education, support reproductive rights, and prevent gender-based violence.”
Overall, if you are a pop music fan, this movie is amazing. While not as lengthy as Swift’s Eras Tour film, it is still a time commitment, even accounting for the songs that didn’t make the cut. I love how she donated all the funds to her nonprofit, including the sales of tickets, alcohol, and merch for that show.
Final Rating: 4/5
