‘Lali: Time to Step Up’ (2025) Netflix Review - A Real-Life Ride With Flaws and Heart

Watching Lali: Time to Step Up felt a bit like being given VIP backstage access, then gently nudged into a folding chair while the crew cleaned up cables around me. I got the excitement, the intimacy, the sense that something big was happening, but also a reminder that this is still a polished documentary with a PR-friendly shine. Still, I found myself laughing, invested, and occasionally rolling my eyes in the exact way a good celebrity documentary encourages without meaning to.

Lali herself is immediately interesting. She starts the film by admitting she’s unsure of who she is as an artist after four years away from the stage, and honestly, that level of candor grabbed me. She’s charming, self-aware, a little chaotic, and never pretending she’s breezing through any of this. Her vulnerability feels real enough that I forgave the moments where the film clearly smoothed over the roughest edges. I felt like I was watching someone try to figure out their identity in real time, not just pose for a glossy celebration of fame.

The documentary moves through her creative warm-up, the stress of preparing a stadium show, and the struggle to make a new album while battling doubts about whether she still has something meaningful to say. The pacing is smart: long stretches of rehearsal footage, tiny glimpses of late-night creative panic, and sudden bursts of roaring crowds. It oscillates between calm and adrenaline, mirroring the weird emotional rhythm of artistic recovery. One minute she’s mumbling anxieties into a voice note, the next she’s commanding an arena. It’s satisfying to watch that contrast unfold.

Visually, the film is lively. It mixes grainy, personal recordings with crisply shot concert scenes, creating a texture that feels both intimate and professionally staged. I liked the blend — it shows the difference between the private person and the public performer without hammering the point. The stadium scenes are especially strong. Even through a screen, you feel the buzz, the anticipation, the full-body rush of performing in front of thousands. For fans, this is gold; for newcomers, it at least explains why her career matters to so many.

But here’s where the documentary trips a little. While it does a great job showing who Lali is now, it mostly avoids digging into who she was. There are brief childhood snippets and some fast mentions of her early career, but the deeper context is skimmed over. It’s less of a biography and more of a “current chapter” portrait. That’s not inherently bad, but it limits how far the emotional impact can go. If you’re going to take me on a journey of reinvention, it helps to fully show the person I was before reinventing.

Another downside is the sense of safety in the storytelling. The documentary gestures toward burnout, pressure, insecurities, and tension, but it rarely lingers long enough to unpack them. The messy parts are shown but not examined. I occasionally felt like I was watching a highlight reel of vulnerability rather than a brutally honest dive into it. I get that artists protect themselves, but the film’s polish sometimes softens moments that could have hit harder.

And, let’s be honest: if you’re not already a Lali fan, some moments may feel like waiting-room filler. Emotional beats depend heavily on her music and persona, and if you’re not tuned into those frequencies, the quieter scenes might lose steam. Still, even as someone who isn’t obsessed with her catalog, I appreciated seeing the grind, the craft, and the earnest frustration that go into making a project this big.

Yet despite the critiques, there’s real warmth and heart here. Lali’s sincerity, even when managed by the documentary format, pulls you in. Her journey feels relatable in its uncertainty and determination. She’s trying to rebuild confidence, creativity, and connection, and that’s a story that lands regardless of genre or fandom. Watching her push past self-doubt and step back into stadium lights made me root for her, even when the film played it a bit safe.

By the end, I walked away thinking the documentary succeeds more than it stumbles. It offers an engaging, human look at a pop star who isn’t pretending to have everything figured out. It captures the energy of performance, the exhaustion of process, and the complicated joy of returning to something you love after losing your footing. Sure, it could have been messier, deeper, and slightly less curated. But it’s still a compelling, fun, emotionally grounded slice of her life.

If this is Lali stepping back up, she’s doing it with honesty, ambition, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting. And honestly? I’m glad I was along for the ride.

Final Score- [7.5/10]
Reviewed by - Anjali Sharma
Follow @AnjaliS54769166 on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times