Alright, I'm going to be totally biased about this film because I am a huge Directioner and I would watch the boys sleep for 82 minutes and pay $18 for that too. But I recently watched This Is Us with my extremely reluctant boyfriend, who was the only boy in the entire cinema. I've watched the trailer a few times and also their previous documentary; A Year In The Making. And I don't know whether this is a new trend, where celebrities make big-screen movies about themselves, like Justin Bieber or Katy Perry, but I find it quite odd. Publish your documentary online and leave the cinema for the big boys, will you?
Let's get to it:
The movie opened with a live rendition of Up All Night, which I sang along to and the girls in the row in front of me did so too with even more fervor. What caught my eye was how beautiful the cinematography was. Being a film student I had to point that out. But it was just beautiful, especially the interviews with Simon Cowell and the neurologist. I almost frothed from excitement when I saw the scenes.
I think the film tries to portray how normal these boys are. They want to take away the image of the typical famous stars and replace it with reality. These boys are nothing but a couple of goofy 19-21 year-olds who were thrown into the spotlight at such a young age. At one scene where the boys went back to their respective homes, Louis' mother said, "this is the 5th time he's been home since X-Factor 2 years ago." That hit me hard. These boys work so hard 24/7, and they're still kids, for Pete's sake!
When the boys auditioned for the X-Factor in 2010 and got through to the live shows, their lives changed. They weren't allowed back home as often and all they did was go on tours and record albums. There was a scene where Zayn was woken up after 10 minutes of sleep because he had to record their new single. They basically live on their tour buses. Their glamorous life consists of small bunk beds in a moving vehicle.
The best part about this film was the constant juxtaposition between their concert life and their personal life. The segues would be their live concerts, and then suddenly it would change to a very peaceful cottage in Wolverhampton or Holmes Chapel or wherever. It just goes to show that what they portray in the media is completely different to who they are in reality.
Liam pointed out that it's hard for him to make friends since the X-Factor because he doesn't know whether that person is friends with him just because, or because of his position in life. Harry said something regarding his fame as well. Stating, "When people say he's famous', it's not really saying anything about the actual person. It's not like they're saying 'oh he's a funny guy' or 'he's really nice'. People just say 'he's famous.' I don't think of it as a compliment because it's not about who the person is. I hate it."
I know that their problems might seem petty. As my boyfriend pointed out, compared to people who actually work a low-income job for a living, these guys have it pretty good. They do, but they don't. They were plucked out of obscurity at such a young age. They had to mature faster than others, learn the ropes, compose themselves, and be a role model for millions of people, all in the course of months. On top of that, the fact that tabloids constantly reveal their personal stories must be frustrating.
I'm not saying that we should pity them, but this film really made me realize how even the biggest celebrities have their problems. They might not be scraping for food, but they have a lot on their hands, especially at such a young age.
The film should've gone deeper into each of their lives. I know they can't incorporate the personal lives of 5 people because that would lead to a 3-hour film or more. But I think this film is a bit shallow. It shows who the boys truly are, but not their personal struggles or whatever. It didn't show their girlfriends or their friends. Just the boys, the crew, and their parents. I wish it was more in depth so we could really see into the lives of the boys. But then again, I'm sure they've had enough of the media snooping into their private lives.
All in all, I give this film a 5/10.
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