Sometimes the last thing that happens in a person’s life shouldn’t be how they’re remembered, but depending on the circumstances of what happened and why there are those times when a celebrity’s reputation and legacy might be mired in controversy and suspicion. That’s a sad note to a life that was otherwise vibrant and quite successful since Brittany Murphy deserved a bit more than to be regarded by how she met her end. Unfortunately, the resulting autopsy that was deferred to begin with only made her demise and that of her husband, who passed only a short while later, appear even more suspicious. But the docuseries that’s coming to HBO Max won’t fixate entirely on the idea of how Murphy met her end, but how she lived and thrived in the spotlight up until her passing, which is a much more positive manner of looking at someone that brought quite a bit of joy to many people. It might sound like an attempt to remain blissfully ignorant, but at the same time, it’s an attempt to celebrate her life and allow the matter of her passing, which is close to 12 years in the past now, to finally settle as her successes are elevated above what some folks still see as a conspiracy.
Brittany actually had a pretty successful time in show business that has been overshadowed by her death, but looking back to see what she managed to accomplish is far easier than one might think since her time in Clueless was one of the most recognized roles that she took on during her career, and it was one that stuck with people in a big way. Why that’s the case remains hard to see for some folks since the fact that the movie has been deemed as one of the greatest of all time is still a little confusing considering that it was essentially another high school flick that showed a number of stereotypes as well as the ‘struggle’ of those that lived in high society as they tried to navigate their way through school, romantic episodes, and the continual need to fit in. Maybe that’s a little bit cynical, but even for the 90s, this movie was kind of ridiculous, even if so many people happen to think that it was the cutting edge of what a high school movie should be. Thankfully, while she did get a lot of attention for this movie, it wasn’t the only thing she managed to do, but it did kind of set the tone for a lot of her other performances since she did become the kind of young woman that was often in trouble or had dating issues or relationship issues of some sort in a lot of movies and on TV. To be honest, she worked this type of role quite well and made adjustments in many ways with each role that allowed her to be seen in a different light more often than not.
For instance, one such role that she played was Alex in 8 Mile with Eminem and several others. While she was definitely there for the drama and the sex appeal she added a bit of depth to the story as well that might have been lacking had she not been a part of the cast. Another movie that people tend to look past but was actually quite well done is Don’t Say A Word with Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Oliver Platt, and Jennifer Esposito among several others. Brittany played a young woman that had been institutionalized following the death of her father, as this was the only way that she felt safe from the criminals that her father had once associated with, who were also the ones that ended up killing him. The trauma this caused followed her throughout her life and prompted her to act as though she had several different mental illnesses so that she could be kept inside, where they couldn’t get to her. This movie was a little disturbing but it was definitely far better than people gave it credit for since Murphy and the rest of the cast made it quite easy to watch thanks to their gathered talents.
The biggest hope is that this two-part docuseries will dig deeper into her career and show why it’s better to remember Brittany for what she did than for the controversy her death sparked among so many. It’s kind of sad really to think that people became more interested in thinking that her passing was worth diving into in terms of how it really happened and why especially when she was such a fun actress to watch. She was a bright talent that was taken too soon, but in the time she was here, Brittany managed to build a great reputation as well as a career that would have likely continued to rise. Hopefully this show will highlight those points above everything else.
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