Martha Stewart's Netflix Doc: A Mixed Review

Martha Stewart, the lifestyle icon, is less than thrilled with her new Netflix documentary, "Martha. " At 83, she has some strong words for the filmmaker, R. J. Cutler. She feels he didn't use enough of her personal archive, despite having "total access. " Stewart is particularly upset about the final scenes, where she appears lonely and hunched over in her garden. She had requested those scenes be removed, but Cutler refused. The documentary, released Wednesday, covers Stewart's life and challenges, including her time in Alderson Federal Prison Camp in 2004. Stewart thinks this part of her life was overemphasized. "It was less than two years out of an 83-year life, " she said, adding, "I considered it a vacation. " Stewart also criticized the documentary's soundtrack, saying it was too classical and didn't fit her style. She had preferred rap music, which she considers essential to her story. Despite her complaints, she does like the first half of the documentary, which delves into lesser-known aspects of her life. Cutler, the filmmaker, defends his work, saying the documentary is "a movie, not a Wikipedia page. " He praises Stewart's courage in allowing him to make the film and acknowledges that seeing its aspects might be hard for her. "Martha" is now streaming on Netflix.