I had never even heard a Justin Bieber song from beginning to end. I had heard a lot about him and his haircut, but I’m not in middle school, and I don’t subscribe to Teen Beat.
When his full-length concert film “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” came out in 3D, I knew this was a great opportunity to figure out if he was just a normal teen idol or if his songs would really put me into a Bieber-mania zombie trance, as many of his fans are depicted.
Musically, there’s nothing Bieber is doing that hasn’t been done by a rotating cast of attractive, bubblegum teen stars for decades; comparisons to the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync are inevitable. Watching Bieber fans gather en masse is uncomfortably similar to footage of The Beatles’ arrival in the United States in 1964, but most adults who don’t have younger siblings or children between the ages of 10 and 19 have never actually heard a Justin Bieber song. Bieber has a very specific audience, and they have a lot of free time on their hands.
Bieber sings about girls and young love, but it’s pretty clear that at the time of filming the way he interacts with women is with the trepidation of a virgin. He’s probably never had his heart broken. He’s polite, abstains from swearing and recently banned alcohol from his 17th birthday party. He might have a lot of growing up to do, but so far he’s a great role model. Maybe that’s why these girls feel such a connection. He’s a nice kid and they’re growing up together.
The documentary tells the story of Justin Bieber’s rise to stardom. It juxtaposes grainy home videos of Justin from the late 90s with high-def, super-slick 3D concert footage, re-emphasizing that Bieber is just a normal kid.
With less drama than an episode of Degrassi, it was hardly a nail-biter. The only plot twist was half-hearted: a sore throat threatened the young heart-throb from playing a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. It’s not exactly the crazy parent, money or drug issues we have come to expect from teen stars.
Not surprisingly, the movie doesn’t cover his teenage mother and father, who separated when Bieber was an infant- or why his father has suddenly become part of his life again. Who are the nameless people behind Bieber-mania and in charge of his millions of dollars?
Everyone seems so thankful and blown away by his awesomeness that it seems too good to be true. What will we discover fifteen years from now on an episode of “Behind the Music”? The real drama of Bieber’s life story could be unfolding right now, but today all we have is his patented hair flip.
man, im bored with this article. its obvious, the writer didn’t do much research.