Review of One Direction: This Is Us (2013) by Writenow — 27 Jul 2015

I was just starting to become a fan of One Direction's music when I decided to view this film and it actually helped me understand them better. The guys themselves are charming, smart and talented. The image they have to uphold is not. It was very clear that there's the band and there's the phenomenon - as two separate entities. Fans on the internet have uncovered just how controlling their management and label really is and it's quite clear in the way the film is formatted (song, "our fans are great", screaming fans, song, "our fans", screaming fans, song) that the one thing the team behind 1D doesn't want us to know is that the boys are actually well worth their fame and accolades. They deserve to be praised for their talent and personalities but the label was, at this point, clearly hoping to just cash in and move on. Go figure, that's the nature of a cutthroat industry, I guess.

The best parts are when the band just gets to be themselves, and the highlight is when they all describe one another (consider Harry's "Louis is a great person to just sit and admire what he's like" and wonder if those rumors about them are in fact true...). Louis is a deep thinker, has a heart of gold and is a leader but he is also offbeat and unusual, and, as a result, he completely fascinates his bandmates. They are all drawn to him and he centers them. Harry is the quintessential Famous Person, but he is incredibly uncomfortable with that being both his destiny and burden. He shows introspect, intelligence and charm. Liam is the high achiever, Type A perfectionist who may have spent too much time developing his talent and not enough developing a personality. He's in the right industry for this, but as a brief argument shows, he can be overbearing in his workaholic nature too. It's interesting to note he and Louis - the biggest personalities - did in fact clash during their run on X Factor, but they grew past and overcame their differences. Niall is put forward as a "goofy lad" type but is easily the most self assured of the bunch, which might be why the outlandish personalities of the group tend to overlook him a bit. Not that he cares, he's fine just doing him. The now-exited Zayn is the heart. Not "of the group", just the heart. He is quiet, awkward, nerdy and cute. His dashing good looks make people associate him with a Brad Pitt type persona but in reality he's more like a Matthew Grey Gubler type. He is introverted, but the band honestly makes him shine. It's a shame that dynamic ultimately wasn't enough for him to stick around. See how interesting these guys are? Their time on camera talking about themselves probably doesn't even amount to ten minutes of film. It's a shame in a film about One Direction, the men who make up One Direction were not the priority of the filmmakers.

All of them are wonderfully talented singers and Niall plays guitar. Harry's voice probably stands out the most because it's powerful but raspy. Zayn's is conventionally strong and deep. Louis's voice is as unique and unconventional as his personality. Liam can do it all and particularly knows how to work a good falsetto. Niall has a unique nasal tone that somehow works very well and is never annoying or flat. Their music has become much more rock since this film but you can see the beginnings of it at play here. They perform a genius cover of Wheatus's Teenage Dirtbag and other performance highlights include I Would and Change My Mind.

The inclusion of their starstruck parents was sobering, these adults have no idea how to navigate the world of mega fame and are simply left to trail behind their children, weeping with both pride and horror, as they conquer one thing after another. It must be daunting to go from being the provider and protector to being a mere bystander in your teen/young adult's magnified life. Disappointingly, all girlfriends are erased/not mentioned.

The section that actually allows fans to speak for themselves is insightful and handled very well I was so, impressed when the female fans explained they had formed profound, meaningful friendships with one another based on their love for the band. Some even appeared to cherish finding that more than finding the band itself, which is just wonderful. A throwaway line was quite powerful: "They speak to us the way normal guys don't". There's even a goofy "science" skit where a (I assume) fake doctor "explains" fans chemical reaction to the band: "The girls aren't crazy, they're just excited". And, really, what the hell is wrong with that?

The film is controlled and too scripted, with everyone forced into neat little boxes and the format is monotonous. A better film would simply be a fly on the wall documentary, where we see five (now four) fascinating, talented and genuinely interesting men interact naturally, within their isolated fame bubble. Take away the script, just let them be.