You didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out the theater at United Artist that would be playing Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, was theater Number 9, on the left. The theater wasn’t recognizable by the yellow caution tape, nor the sign clearly saying: JUSTIN 3D, but the line of girls ranging from 6 to 16 anxiously awaiting the movie they’ve been dying to see. The line was splattered with special purple 3D glasses, brightly colored shirts with that iconic Bieber-swoosh-hair right on it, and phones Tweeting about the excitement; “5 mins til showtime! #NEVERSAYNEVER”. Girls started lining up as soon as school let out, even though the movie began at 4:20 p.m., minus the advertisements.
Finally, a worker ripped off the yellow tape, and girls stormed into the theater, as if the one and only Justin Bieber would be in there himself. Girls clambered up the stairs to get a good seat, glaring at anyone who dared to sit in their row. After much popcorn-throwing and shrieks of, “WE WANT BIEBER!” the movie began, showing someone emailing their friends popular YouTube videos, where Justin got his start. The movie told the story of an underdog’s rise to fame, when he wasn’t even trying. But more than the obvious YouTube discovery, the movie took fans deeper into Justin’s life.
It told how Justin started showing musical talent at 2, banging on kitchen chairs in perfect rhythm, and how his mom’s friends from church held a benefit concert to buy Justin a drum set. His exceptional musical talent quickly became obvious, as he picked up trumpet, piano, guitar, and singing without any lessons. He started entering singing competitions in his hometown of Stratford, Canada. His mom video taped these performances and put them on YouTube for his family to see. He also began playing guitar and singing outside the Avalon Theatre, and both of these attracted much attention. Scooter Braun, a talent manager, discovered Justin’s YouTube videos, and persuaded him and his mother to fly to Atlanta for a week, where Justin met his idol Usher and eventually was signed to Island Def Jam Music Group by L.A. Reid, who has signed big-time artists like Rihanna and Kanye West. From there, the fame exploded.
Other than showing his story, the film also has a countdown until Justin was to play at Madison Square Garden, how they prepared, and the troubles they faced, like Justin’s vocal chords having serious problems, causing him to even cancel a show.
From a non-Belieber
Clearly, not everyone is a fan of Justin Bieber. But even so, some made their way into Theater 9, whether by bribes, force, or the promise of a reward. From someone who doesn’t favor the Biebs, I obviously did not thoroughly enjoy this film centered around this teen sensation. It was full of childhood memories of young Justin that was just made for all of the preteen fangirls watching to sigh “AWWW!” in unison. However, the movie was honest and did not over-sensationalize his humble and admirable story of his rise to fame. Although I–like many others–find Justin’s music insufferable, the clips played in the movie of some of his concerts were enthralling to watch with impressive dancing and captivating theatrics, with features from other musicians such Ludacris and Jaden Smith.
From a Belieber
From someone who has been a Belieber since “One Time” hit the radio, I thought the movie was absolutely amazing. Originally I was skeptical about it, thinking it’d only focus on the obvious story of how he was discovered on YouTube, and also thought the 3D would be absolutely cheesy. However, the movie did a great job telling the story for people who didn’t know, but gave so much more to the fans who clearly knew his story. It wasn’t like a documentary, it broke the movie into segments of his life, then back to the MSG countdown, to clips of the backstage tour antics, to full-length concert performances, that the 3D made 100 times better, and left you feeling like you were front-row at one of Justin’s shows. There were hilarious parts, where Justin and Ryan Good interrupted the movie, pointing at the crowd in 3D, telling them to stop texting and making out, and pay attention. But there were also very serious and heartwarming moments, like when Justin learned he had to cancel a show because of strain on his vocal chords, and retreated to his bunk on the tour bus, and couldn’t talk. The movie was clearly one that should be seen by fans and haters alike.
By CHLOE MCCROSSEN & GABBI FORREST
