It was Beauty and the Beast that showed me to look beyond the surface of a person, all the way to their heart. From the film The Wizard of Oz I learned to question what was being presented before me, for some things are just a false reality. I learned there was a fine line between genius and madness from the movie Amadeus. As you can see cinema had a hand in what type of man I was to become as an adult. So when it comes to music documentaries, I cast a somewhat skeptical eye to what is being shown to me. Now I am not a musical fan of Justin Bieber and only know about him when he is being reported on in the news. This film focused on Justin’s Believe tour from inception to the ending concerts. Directed by John M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Step Up franchise), I found the movie to be a simple step by step process on how the tour was assembled. Since I am a fan of dance, I enjoyed the audition process that showed the dancers being vetted, picked and trained in the choreography. The use of actual concert footage was appreciated because it was a way to break up the film from becoming too long with all the interviews used of various people. I knew some of the individuals like Usher and Rodney Jerkins, but others such as manager and producer Scooter Braun were unknown to me. I do not feel I have to tell you that there was nothing shown to cast Justin in a negative light, though they did show film clips of his altercations with the paparazzi. As a documentary this movie really did not show anything new. It seemed like a tightly scripted marketing ploy to squeeze more profit out of the tour. Justin’s music does not do anything for me; however, I could certainly acknowledge the creative process to his music writing, besides the team behind the tour. If you are a Belieber (name Justin Bieber fans call themselves) then no matter what I say you probably saw this film already. For those curious, I would suggest you wait to see it on DVD. When I think of musical artists like the Beatles, who are still relevant 50 years later, will Justin have the same longevity? I cannot imagine; wait, now that was a good song.
1 3/4 stars
