I don’t buy it for the reasons I’ve laid out before.
If the Obamas wanted the job, Joe Biden would never have gotten anywhere. Michelle hasn’t actually liked being First Lady, and shows limited interest in being around other people. And, unlike Barack, she has no real goals that she cares enough about to actually do this for another 4 to 8 years.
And there’s no actual evidence of any kind of campaign, stealth or otherwise. In an environment where Stacey Abrams is all but preparing to accuse Biden of racism if he doesn’t pick her, where’s the move?
This is one big move though.
A documentary feature about Michelle Obama — the existence of which has been kept top-secret for months — will be made available worldwide May 6 on Netflix.
Becoming, like reigning best documentary feature Oscar winner American Factory, originated from Higher Ground, the production company run by former President Barack Obama and the former first lady, which has an exclusive pact with Netflix.
The doc, which marks the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Nadia Hallgren (Trouble the Water), shares the name of Obama’s best-selling 2018 memoir and recounts some of the same history of her life. But it also picks up where that story left off by following her on the 34-city tour that she undertook while promoting her book.
When Netflix signed its huge deal with the Obamas, what it was buying was obviously them. It’s only got so much interest in their docs from Higher Ground that don’t star them.
So the existence of Becoming, a camera following Michelle on her book tour, requiring very little more work, makes sense. It’s a cheap way to give Netflix more content without requiring much from the Obamas.
But the secret part and the sudden timed dump of this thing would suggest a sudden attempt to get Michelle Obama some attention.
Seen in that light, the book tour starts like a pre-campaign tour, a sales pitch for Michelle Obama.
Do I buy it? Still no. But less so than before.
Netflix is a huge platform and if Michelle were being pitched, this is exactly how they would do it during a coronavirus pandemic when everyone is already at home streaming content.
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