Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (Paramount Pictures)
The Kid Is All Right
Justin Bieber is the latest teen idol to have his own concert film. He follows in the tradition of the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. His film is titled Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and it is available for viewing in 3-D and 2-D. As a movie it will utterly thrill his screaming fans and the adults who tag along will have a fairly good time too.
Nothing of importance is revealed in the film. The audience learns that Justins mother was a teenage mom. She and Justins dad split up when Justin was approximately ten months old. It is not revealed if they were married. Justins father does appear in the movie at a concert and he and Justin appear to have a good relationship.
The persons who seem to have influenced him at an early age other than Pattie, his mother, are her parents. His grandfather seems to have been the main male influence and his grandmother absolutely dotes on him. Once he was discovered on YouTube his manager Scooter Braun became a major influence.
The movie features scenes from a variety of Justins concerts and we get guest appearances by people such as Miley Cyrus, Boys II Men, Jaden Smith and Usher. Against these performers Justins talent shines. He is not a kid who is getting by on his looks and charm; he knows how to sing and he definitely knows how to perform.
One factor which comes across loud and clear in the movie is how much pressure there is on this sixteen year old boy. There are a huge number pf people involved in his career and if Justin doesnt succeed then they are out of a job. So Justin puts in long hours of hard work in order to please his family and his fans and also himself. He does seem career driven and loves his life but sometimes the pressures of being the sole performer are just too much.
Still the people around him have his best interests at heart. They are careful with his health and with keeping him on an even keel. This is especially true of his grandfather and his vocal coach as well as Scooter and Pattie.
Biebers songs have a tendency to all sound alike but he knows how to play to his audience which mainly consists of screaming, crying pre-teen girls. He even incorporates some of them into his act where they scream and cry even harder.
The film is rated G and there is nothing to upset parents in any way.
Justin Bieber is a phenomenon and this film gives you a glimpse at his backstage life. A little more depth would have made it a more interesting film but it is what it is.
I scored Justin Bieber: Never Say Never a concerted 7 out of 10.
