Series Review: "What Happened, Brittany Murphy?" (2021).

"Her life beyond the headlines". This is What Happened, Brittany Murphy? This documentary series directed by Cynthia Hill. The series is an intimate, in-depth character portrait of the actress, going beyond the headlines to explore the mysterious circumstances surrounding her tragic death at thirty two years old. A captivating actor as effervescent on-screen as she was off, Murphy was a rising star whose movies helped define a generation. But in 2009, Murphy’s untimely passing ended her promising career, while the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death quickly became fodder for speculation and conspiracy theories. Featuring new archival footage and interviews with those closest to her, the series goes beyond the tabloid rumors to examine the impact of Hollywood’s sexism on her struggles, as well as lingering concerns about her relationship with husband Simon Monjack. Sensitive and nuanced, the docuseries explores the legacy of a unique talent.

On November 10, 1977, the American actress and singer was born. Since childhood, Murphy pursued a career in acting and ultimately moved to Los Angeles in her teens. Her breakthrough role was in Clueless (1995), followed by supporting roles in independent films such as Freeway (1996) and Bongwater (1998). She made her stage debut in a Broadway production of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge (1997) before appearing in Girl, Interrupted (1999) and in Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999). In the 2000s, Murphy appeared in Don't Say a Word (2001) and 8 Mile (2002), for which she gained critical recognition. Her later roles included Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), Spun (2002), Just Married (2003), Uptown Girls (2003), Sin City (2005), and Happy Feet (2006). Murphy also provided her voice talent on the animated television series King of the Hill (1997–2010). Her final film was Something Wicked (2014). On December 20, 2009, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to "a medical request" at the Los Angeles home Murphy and her husband, Simon Monjack, shared. She had apparently collapsed in a bathroom. Firefighters attempted to resuscitate Murphy on the scene. She was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she died after going into cardiac arrest. An autopsy was performed the day after she died. In February 2010, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office issued a report that the manner of death was accidental and that the cause of death was pneumonia, with secondary factors of severe iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication. In late December, Murphy was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills. Five months later, on May 23, Monjack was found dead at the same Hollywood Hills residence and his cause of death was eerily similar to Murphy's, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

The series is beautifully shot and structured so uniquely that it almost feels like an actual suspense/thriller movie rather than a documentary. Certainly interesting, but there are moments when it feels like the series is dangerously close to giving into sensationalism. The series fails to illuminate much about the circumstances around Murphy's death, even if the story itself may be familiar to many across the globe.

Simon says What Happened, Brittany Murphy? receives: