One Direction: This is Us (12/17/2013)

Rated PG for mild language.

Starring Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne

Directed by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me)

I’m not a Directioner, but after this movie, I am a One Direction fan.

One Direction: This is Us is a captivating and intimate all-access look at life on the road for the global music phenomenon. Weaved with stunning live concert footage, this inspiring feature film tells the remarkable story of Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis’ meteoric rise to fame, from their humble hometown beginnings and competing on the X-Factor, to conquering the world and performing at London’s famed O2 Arena. Hear it from the boys themselves and see through their own eyes what it’s really like to be One Direction.

The best moment of the One Direction documentary is when Simon Cowell (who formed the massively popular boy band on his X Factor competition in 2010) looks directly into the camera and says, “These girls are crazy about One Direction, and I have no idea why.”

If you’re wondering about the appeal of British boy band One Direction — beyond their dreamy haircuts, that is — the surprisingly fun One Direction: This Is Us goes a long way toward explaining the phenomenon.

I took my wife and daughter (both self proclaimed Directioners) and they loved it, In fact they’re gonna chime in with their thoughts. I’m glad they were so willing to go with me. Because a 40 year old man, alone in a One Direction movie would probably set off a few red flags.

Let me introduce you to my daughter Brianna. Now 16, she remembers when she first heard about One Direction, “A few friends introduced me to One Direction in early 2012. After a few late nights up YouTubing them and watching most every video that appeared. I became hooked. Seemingly just like every other teenage girl of my generation.”

As a father, I wondered what this One Direction phase would look like and how long it would last. But after seeing this film, I realize there are plenty of other bands I am very grateful she is not a fan of. And let me be clear, I don’t condone the lyrics or the message of every 1D song, but I have used them to create some great conversations with Brianna, and I would encourage you to do the same with your kids (and/or students).

Speaking of other bands, this is not the first concert movie. Like Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never” and Katy Perry’s “Part of Me” before it, This Is Us is part 3-D concert film, part documentary and part marketing-tool. But it operates on a higher level than those other films and dives deeper into the individual members’ personal lives. And that look into their lives is what my wife appreciated the most. She said, “I really liked how it portrayed them as regular guys, that in spite of their success” Lynda continued by saying, “I could see them in our youth ministry, they were so down-to-earth.”

Far from a hard-hitting expose on the group, director Morgan Spurlock, uses his magic to get the group members to open up about their fame and success, while showing the grind that goes along with non-stop touring all over the world. At one point, one of the members’ moms says her son has been home for a total of five days in the last 2 ½ years. Hey, no one said fame comes cheap.

One Direction is a modern-day success story. The group members — that’s Niall, Zayn, Liam, Louis and Harry — tried out as individuals for “The X Factor” in 2010 before producer Simon Cowell brought them back as a group. They didn’t win their season, instead they became a global sensation. This Is Us captures the group at work and at play, and explains how their anti-boy band ideals (they don’t do choreography) and playful demeanor have made them teen superstars.

Might not make you a fan of One Direction, but it will certainly make you understand the group, which is the job of any good documentary, and for that reason I’m giving it a “Theater Worthy.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The film is rated PG and is fine for all those teenage girls out there.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. How would you describe the relationships between the guys?


2. What are some of the things they did together?


3. What are some things you and your friends like to do?


4. What are some things you and your friends do for each other because you are friends?


5. Read John 15:13
   
   Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
   
   What does that verse tell us about what Jesus did for us?


6. Jesus (literally) gave up His life for us, how can we follow his example and (figuratively) lay down our lives for our friends?