Angelyne Review: A Blonde Busty Embodiment of Living One’s Dream

L.A. icon Angelyne is the latest fascinating real-life personality to get the limited series treatment. Peacock’s Angelyne is an unauthorized account of the legendary billboard queen’s rise to her unique fame. 

The miniseries, which stars Emmy Rossum in a dazzling performance as the mysterious maven of moxie, acknowledges its unofficial status in clever ways. The approach is mockumentary style, however it isn’t mocking its subject—respect is shown and her positive light is celebrated. 

Even though the real Angelyne doesn’t approve of and says she will never watch the series (that she executive produced), I hope she knows that it is a bewitching portrayal that comes from love and still keeps the mystery alive.

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, however, that she’s not satisfied with Rossum’s depiction—in Angelyne’s mind nobody can play Angelyne except for Angelyne herself. The series uses this to its advantage in its cinematic storytelling. And with the real-life woman signing on early in the series’ development, Rossum and the producers probably felt a certain freedom in telling her story.

Rossum told LAist that the advice Angelyne gave her for playing the role was to “tell the story the way I saw it.”

Angelyne takes us on a ride through a hot pink fantasyland that is the living legend’s real life, spreading her one-of-a-kind, mystical philosophies of hope, self-love, and dreaming big.

Note: This review contains spoilers for Angelyne.

Kiss Me L.A.

“I seduced an entire city.”

Not only is Angelyne a flashy love letter (full of glitter in the envelope) to the titular icon, but to Los Angeles as well. The larger than life woman has become synonymous with the City of Angels. She is an L.A. institution whose image has graced hundreds of billboards in prime Hollywood locations and can still be seen driving the city’s streets in her impossible-to-miss pink Corvette, high-kicking in her 70s and engaging with her fans. 

If Los Angeles had a mascot, it would be Angelyne.

Jeff Glaser: I love Angelyne for all the same reasons I love Los Angeles: the extremes, the weirdness, the glamour, the enigma.

Angelyne, both the real woman and the fictional one, doesn’t like to talk about her past or what came before she put her literal stamp on Tinseltown in the form of those epic billboards. That is when she was born, or fully realized, or beamed in from another dimension, or whatever you’d like to believe. 

When someone with a fierce sense of following their dreams enters a plane of existence known as the Dream Factory, anything is possible.

The way the series handles this is whimsical and theatrical, especially in the end when Angelyne gives her younger self control of her destiny, in a literal control room, no less. Then the supreme being transports herself via glitzy pink spaceship to her birthplace: Sunset Boulevard, 1984.

Within the glamorous and gritty atmosphere of La La Land, Angelyne could transform the outside to match what’s on the inside; to be exactly, unapologetically who she wants. And for her, not being in that space is akin to death. 

Angelyne: Did I say Cory was dead? Well, he doesn’t live in L.A. anymore. I sometimes get the two confused. 

He Said/She Said

Angelyne showrunner Allison Miller told LAist, “This isn’t a biopic. This is about, maybe, the failure of biopics to be able to really fully illuminate a person.”

The documentary angle is a brilliant way to approach the subject matter. Firstly, it gives a nice investigative journalism feel without hooking the whole story on the 2017 Hollywood Reporter feature on which the series is roughly based.

That would be giving them the power, and Angelyne is all about taking back her power, especially when it comes to her own narrative. 

Secondly, Angelyne handles rumors, conflicting accounts, and hearsay in a manner that lends itself really well to visual storytelling. Dramatic reenactments, changes in points of view, exaggerations, and dreamy non-dream sequences all work seamlessly with the talking-head interviews and docudrama aspects.

The series, respectfully, plays fast and loose with the timeline and the facts, which allows for creativity and unconventional direction. Angelyne isn’t just a fun, cheeky look at a pop culture legend, it digs deeper into what makes her tick.

Like cutting open Barbie to see the magic inside. 

Self-Possessed

Newsman: What are you advertising?
Angelyne: Myself.

Predating the modern day influencer, Angelyne was the first to really be famous for being famous. She understood self-branding in such a prolific way. “I don’t want to be famous for what I do, I want to be famous for who I am,” the starlet says decades before the Kardashians of the digital age.

And that is precisely what she sets out to do. 

On the first episode, “Dream Machine,” Angelyne is cruising the club scene looking for a band she can take control of and mold into her springboard to stardom. It is with Baby Blue that the street advertising began.

Angelyne is a big believer in dreaming big, so naturally, she takes that concept and makes it much, much bigger.

She is both the art and the artist, sculpting a physical persona using cosmic materials straight from her soul. As art, she is memorable, relevant, culturally significant. As an artist, she’s playful, driven, and bold, giving whole new meaning to living and breathing one’s art.  

Angelyne is a stunning example of living one’s truth. Critics that call her fake are projecting their own insecurities and those that focus on her previous life are missing the point entirely. 

The series succeeds in conveying the point along with showcasing the icon’s sweet wholesome side. My image of Angelyne was surface-level amusement of a fascinating L.A. oddity. Through Rossum’s Angelyne, I am able to learn more about her which deepens my appreciation and inspires me to live authentically as I can. 

This almost angelic demeanor is a pleasant surprise. Moments where her generosity and kindness come out are charming and heartfelt. She is always quick to give a word of encouragement and support. If you don’t believe in yourself you best believe Angelyne does. 

Angelyne truly believes that she has been sent to Earth to help people, and the series helps to broadcast that message to the people of Earth in true campy fashion.

What did you think of Angelyne? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Angelyne is now streaming on Peacock.

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