Justin Bieber: Never Say Never is a good-natured examination of “Bieber Fever” – to it’s credit it’s not simply a 3D concert film, but provides Bieber novices such as myself the back story to support the cultural phenomenon. The film has been designed for its core audience who no doubt will love it, but, to its credit, there are compelling moments for all in attendance.
Directed by Jon Chu – who previously used 3D well in Step Up 3D – the medium adds virtually nothing considering about 5 of the 115 minutes of the film’s running time was shot on cell phone cameras. 3D is strongest during the concert sequences, which are effective at grounding the Bieber back story. Coming from a small Ontario town, born to a teenage mother and having no apparent relationship to his father, the young stud began adapting pop songs in his own style. Artists he impersonated for local contests, on the streets and for YouTube (where he was discovered) ranged from Alicia Keys to Matchbox Twenty.
The back story has undoubtedly been controlled by the Bieber camp and the film’s producer, L.A. Reid. At its most interesting, it proves it takes a village to raise a child: a close-knit community from his vocal coach to his bodyguard surrounds Bieber, helping him achieve his dream. The film humanizes the icon: he wants to be a normal 16-year old but the life choice of stardom has made normalcy difficult. No matter how much he stays grounded, which is apparently essential in the process of creating the pop candy he does, there’s always celebrity pulling at his coat tails.
Bieber’s rise, including his mentorship from Usher, and a tour of good ol’ fashion hard work, is ultimately a cautionary tale. That said, I wished the film had provided us with more material to unpack, particularly surrounding his parents. But then this, after all, is not a VH1 ‘Behind the Music’ expose (let’s wait 20 years – or I hope not, Bieber is a genuinely likeable kid who appears to have a strong moral grounding, perhaps informed by his constant fan interaction on Twitter).
Never Say Never will work for its core audience, parents and the boyfriends of tween girls dragged along, thanks to musical cameos from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Miley Cyrus, Sean Kingston, Jaden Smith and Boyz 2 Men popping up at Bieber’s big Madison Square Garden show, itself a source of drama due to Bieber’s vocal cords getting a 80+ show work-out. What is apparent is a love of his fans, and this film is for them, despite the upgrade fee for minimal 3D (I won’t blame the kid for that).
To be fair, the film is not in the same league as two recent, fantastic Canadian music documentaries: Anvil: The Story of Anvil and my favorite film of last year Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, which I contend is the best rock-and-roll documentary of all time. A cynic would laugh at the teen girls proposing marriage and crying over his closing number, but I’m sure you had music to get you through a rough patch, either through your childhood or even now (The Gaslight Anthem’s last album got me through a break-up). And thus is the power of music on display. As a documentary it is perhaps a tad long but a true gift to the fans, at times approaching the honesty of true documentary. Had the filmmaker had either a bit more ambition or perhaps a bit more latitude this might have been a better film. Still, I admire that it exists in the spirit of the young artist, who genuinely seems hardworking, appreciative of his fans and, at the same time, caught between his professionalism and his youth. With Lindsay Lohan’s antics the source and fodder for many a Twitter feed, Bieber seems like a positive enough role model. I hope the subject is revisited as he transitions into adulthood, although surrounded by people (mostly adults), it seems like fame is a lonely, but chosen life.
