Unrevealing concert film is still passable fun.
I have to admit that I went into “One Direction: This Is Us” not as a Directioner, which the name given to fans of the British boy band One Direction.
I was aware of their existence, but I couldn’t tell you the band members’ names or name any of their songs, let alone sing any of their lyrics.
I learned through this 3D documentary and concert film that the five boys (Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis) were all cast-offs from the British version of “The X Factor” in 2010 brought together by that show’s judge, Simon Cowell. The band became an unprecedented worldwide success, selling out venues across the globe and breaking chart records.
The film, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (“Super Size Me”) is a completely manufactured fluff piece for the tween and teenage fans of the group. It follows them backstage on their tour and incorporates lavish production numbers from their shows.
Outside of a few mildly revealing moments, the film never delves into what it must be like for five regular blokes to go from obscurity to international fame.
The five, all between 19 and 21, are never shown drinking, smoking or swearing. They are portrayed as moppy-haired, down-to-earth guys, who love music and a good time.
It is all but blasphemous to even mention this corporately concocted, candy-colored twaddle in the same sentence as The Beatles, but it is hard not to think of those music gods running around with a devil-may-care attitude in a film such as “A Hard Day’s Night” while watching the One Direction members fooling around.
Actually, a large percent of the audience that will see “This Is Us” have probably never seen that landmark rock ‘n’ roll film. Hopefully Directioners will eventually grow up and learn to appreciate real music. One Direction’s music is fine for what it is, but let’s just say I didn’t walk out of the theater with any of their songs stuck in my head.
Since Cowell is one of the producers of the film, it is apparent he had a big hand in controlling the final product. I wasn’t expecting to see anything scandalous — say, Harry or Zayn snorting cocaine off of a prostitute — but the film would have been more interesting and relatable if the curtain were pulled back a little farther.
Some fleeting moments of honesty include the five acknowledging that they have a shelf life; that they won’t be household names in a few years; and that they don’t always like touring for months on end, being in the spotlight constantle, recording daily and not getting enough sleep.
Spurlock must have gone into the film knowing he was only going to be able to show a certain side of the band, and I wish he was given full rein to show a more intimate, warts-and-all view of their lives.
Even though we are only seeing the version of these musicians that Cowell and the band’s managers and producers want us to see, they seem like charming, well-mannered young men, and the film is never less than passable fun. I could not tell you who is who, and the film does not do much to separate their distinct personalities, but together they come off likable.
It is a film made for and catering to One Direction’s fans. Every ten minutes or so, one of the boys is shown shirtless, and the young girls that attended my screening sighed and “OMG”ed a little each time. They also sang along, waving their hands in the air.
Although the film was not made for me, I did have a grin plastered on my face for most of it.
No one will talk about One Direction or remember their music in 20 years, but the film showcases — not realistically but enthusiastically — the beginning of this of-the-moment band.