David Mack

Somehow, despite a degree of current-day Kennedy fatigue, this FX series feels fresh and compelling.

It’s ridiculous, certainly, but it’s entertaining too. .... The Beauty thinks it’s smarter than it ultimately is, but against my better nature, I did find myself somewhat enjoying the show, with its big-budget, ritzy locations and gorgeous production design.

A lazy, ludicrous series with no pretense that it contains anything of value beyond its wardrobe budget and the sky-high salaries it surely paid its stars .... Something you want to escape from. Having finally made it free, I now genuinely want to sue someone.

Heizer is well cast as the lead, delivering a metamorphosis that feels both earnest and earned. But it’s also because the supporting characters in Boots aren’t one-dimensional, either. .... None of which is to say that Boots is perfect. It can be uneven in tone—sometimes twee, sometimes sober—and is occasionally too reliant on unnecessary voice-overs and hallucinations in which Cameron talks to versions of himself for lazy exposition purposes.

For a documentary centered on a fashion designer (featuring the requisite cameos from Anna Wintour, Donatella Versace, and Tom Ford), we actually learn very little about Beckham’s creative process or inspirations. Instead, what we’re told repeatedly is that she has drive, which is all that matters. It all feels very much like an ad for both the label and this latest Beckham iteration.