Stream It Or Skip It: ‘This Is Paris’ On YouTube, A Surprisingly Intimate & Moving Portrait Of Paris Hilton

Whether you’ve followed her since The Simple Life or you’re just now catching up with “the original influencer,” Paris Hilton’s status as a pop culture icon is absolutely undeniable. The great-granddaughter of Hilton Hotel cofounder Conrad Hilton, Paris became a household name for about a million reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with hotels. In This Is Paris, now streaming on YouTube, we finally get a glimpse behind the glittery curtain – and the truth of it all may surprise you. 

THIS IS PARIS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Paris Hilton has been a household name since she was a teenager, known as one or many of the following: spoiled heiress, socialite with a sex tape, ditz with a dog in her purse, a young woman “famous for being famous”. People still say “that’s hot” and “loves it,” and poke fun at The Simple Life. People have been making her a punchline since she arrived on the scene and ascended to super stardom following the release of her sex tape, but she’s worked hard to create her brand and make a name for herself outside of these giant shadows. This Is Paris takes a look at all of the things you know about Paris Hilton, and then it reveals what was going on behind the scenes – and how a real woman was affected by every front page and snarky interview and cruel joke.

This Is Paris begins, well, at the beginning; Paris’ heritage may be well-known, but seeing home videos from her childhood and hearing from her mother Kathy, sister Nicky, and Aunt Kyle Richards helps to paint a detailed picture of what it was really like to grow up in the Hilton household. The first sit down we get with Paris is frankly jarring; the entire persona she’s made her living off of is nowhere to be seen. It’s like watching someone take off a costume and drop an accent. The real Paris Hilton is a savvy businesswoman, a hard worker, an animal lover, a passionate DJ (the number one female DJ in the world, at that). It turns out she’s been shielding herself from us for all these years because of trauma she’s never discussed publicly before – until now. You may go into This Is Paris assuming it will feel like an E! True Hollywood Story, but by the end of director Alexandra Dean’s intimate documentary, you might start rethinking things and reaching for the tissues.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: This Is Paris definitely follows the tried-and-true combination of interviews, archival footage, and portraits of daily life we’ve seen in many other celebrity documentaries, but the pivot towards activism the film makes in the end sets it apart from its peers.

Memorable Dialogue: Paris says a lot of really introspective, wonderful things in this documentary, but her frankness about her financial goals – and her hustle – was my favorite: “I’m not greedy. I just love making money.”

Single Best Shot: There isn’t anything in This Is Paris shot in a particularly innovative or artful way, but I have to admit I guffawed at this archival footage of a girl fully stepping in front of Kim Kardashian like she is invisible to get a photo with Paris. Truly hilarious.

Sex and Skin: There are certainly some glimpses of scandalous old photoshoots and appearances, but if anything, This Is Paris condemns the nonconsensual sexualization of Paris that made her famous at 19. If you’re here for the sexy stuff, you’re in the wrong place.

Our Take: This Is Paris will surprise you. Director Alexandra Dean (also responsible for the wonderful Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story) does something truly special here, subverting all expectations the moment things begin. I’ll admit that I went into this assuming it was going to be some self-indulgent attempt at image rehab, but This Is Paris is not that at all. We spend some time with the Paris the world has known for decades, yes, but Dean hooks us emotionally by introducing us to the little girl who existed long before Paris Hilton was ever a household name – and by pushing Paris to ditch her infamous character in favor of a real person.

Paris has lived her entire life in front of a camera, but she’s usually spent her screen time in the shoes of a character designed to shield her from the harsh realities of the world. There are certainly some moments in This Is Paris where she slips back into the character – she’s played her for so long, it’s inevitable – but the presence of the cameras during long-nights and emotional situations produces something that feels authentic. Early on in the film, it’s hinted that Paris has spent her entire adult life enduring nightmares and PTSD from incidents that occurred in her teen years. Dean waits until just the right moment for us to learn the truth about what Paris experienced, and this couldn’t be a smarter move; by the time Paris shares the abuses she experienced at Provo Canyon School in Utah, we’ve watched her slip in and out of character, seen her act out in her teens and twenties and eventually evolve into the workaholic she is today. It’s gut-wrenching to watch her relive these traumas, and for her mother to learn of it for the first time. What comes after feels healing, however, and not for Paris’ image. It feels like a first step to healing something deep within herself.

This Is Paris is equal parts eye-opening, devastating, inspiring, and funny; Paris is so unabashedly herself, and it’s so fun to watch someone who really seems to be getting comfortable in wearing her own shoes. She loves making money, she loves sharing music, she loves dressing to the nines (she’s never been photographed in the same outfit twice!), she loves doting on her dogs. This Is Paris is a film is about a woman we’ve projected assumptions on for years and the way it has shaped her (and shaped us), but it also tells the story of a young girl forced to hide behind gaudy getups and vapid characters to avoid having to face her own trauma (and the cruelty of the public). Paris sharing her truth is incredibly powerful, and made even more so by banding together with her classmates who also experienced abuses and speaking out in the hopes of helping other children avoid the same fate. If you are a Paris Hilton fan, This Is Paris will undoubtedly only increase your affections. If, like me, however, you are a skeptic or an apathetic bystander, you may very well be made a fan by the time the film is over.

Our Call: STREAM IT. This Is Paris is an eye-opening and intriguing portrait of an early-aughts pop culture icon turned contemporary businesswoman and activist, one I’ll admit made me tear up on multiple occasions. Seeing the woman who has been made into a punchline for decades reclaim her narrative is both satisfying and affecting, and there couldn’t be a better time for it.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream This is Paris on YouTube