This mellow album documentary adds a welcome complement to others in the genre. This could be chalked up to Rodrigo's young age, or the way Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u is filmed as a combination of road trip and walk down memory lane.
The languid pace and lull of expansive scenery -- drone shots capture lonely highways and fluffy clouds reflecting off placid water -- evoke the feeling of resting against a warm window on a long car drive. The film has a decidedly vintage look, attractively capturing the orange-red sunsets, neon-lit diners, and mid-century motels of the American West.
This '70s aesthetic is almost ironic considering Rodrigo was born in 2003. Her album also revolves around young love and (public) heartbreak. She comes across as genuine, a young woman barely a foot's length out of childhood, trying to figure life out. She talks about being a child actor, suffering a fear of failure, being overly critical with herself, and feeling inferior. She mentions the role her dad has played as a truth-teller for her.
It would have been nice if the film had incorporated more of her family and friends, and some background to how she trains and improves her craft, to give viewers a more well-rounded view of the performer.
Read the full review at Common Sense Media.