I don't know which experience was supposed to be bigger: watching a movie about the rise of One Direction or listening to ear-piercing screams of teen girls"”during a movie about the rise of One Direction.
Documentarian Morgan Spurlock attempts to present a backstage pass on the lives of Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall, and Zayn. I don't know anything about One Direction other than they're a pop sensation with songs on the radio that annoy me. Now, I don't classify myself as a 1D hater, but if you are one, this movie wasn't made to convert you; it was made for their fans.
3D concert-tour movies have already been done for Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers, which begs the question: is this band already at their peak? Will they be bigger in the next five to ten years than they are now? The band knows this ride won't last forever, and their managers know if you're going to make money on them, you need to get every cent now.
This film is meant to document the highlights, not the dark side of their fame. You get to see them perform, explore cities, get out of bed, goof around, and yes, ladies, you even get to see them in their underwear.
If these boys are struggling with deeper issues behind the scenes, you won't see that here. But we may in another documentary when they're touring in their 70s. The film does touch on some negative aspects of fame: time away from family, friends, and the difficulty of finding true love.
It's tough to judge the arc of this story because their journey isn't done. The closing minutes of the film feels like a transition to another scene. Ultimately, the story succeeds because it knows and plays to its audience while allowing the non-1D fans to catch up. I wondered if this movie would be a waste of time to fans who know this band inside and out. I asked a group of girls next to me after the showing, and they didn't think so.
Since the film documents their current tour (they're about to do another world tour in 2014 and release a new album), this is supposed to be a side of the guys we haven't seen before. I'll leave that debate with fans, but there's no debating this: these guys are talented. Spurlock proves he can cook a value meal on boy bands, and I'm stuffed.
