‘Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me’ Review: Depressing Documentary Attempts to Shed New Light on the Bombshell’s Downfall
Courtney Howard Throughout her all-too-brief life, Anna Nicole Smith played a variety of roles on screen and off, identifying as someone different to everyone in her orbit. Even her name was part of a manufactured persona, carved from the same marble as Marilyn Monroe — an aspirational idol of hers. The buxom blonde bombshell represented the dynamic range a woman’s identity could span, from the saintly (wife, mother, girl next door) to the sinful (exotic dancer, calculating gold digger, tabloid-courting sensation). Born Vickie Lynn Hogan, she swapped her small-town woes for a ticket to stardom as a Playboy Playmate, Guess Jeans pinup girl and glamorous movie star: a walking, talking billboard for fashion, sex and, later, severe misfortune.