“Thanks to you, we’re number 1 in thirty-seven countries,” Niall Horan, one-fifth of the British-Irish boy band One Direction says. The theater erupts in screams. “TURDY SEVEN,” one fan says rabidly, trying to imitate Horan’s Irish accent.
The film is a concert documentary like its predecessors, which include “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience,” “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” and “Katy Perry: Part of Me.”
Directed by Morgan Spurlock, CNN producer and director of the documentary “Supersize Me,”, “This Is Us” dwells into a territory that is personal, yet general at the same time.
Premiering on August 30, 2013, many fans, (aka Directioners) lined up to watch the movie about their heroes. The movie is a mix of the boys’ personal lives as well as their musical lives.
“This is Us” switched back and forth from the boys’ lives before and after the “The X Factor UK,” where they were put together as a group by the judges – in what many fans call a legendary decision. They were guided through the show by mentor Simon Cowell, and placed third.
The documentary touched many “Directioners” deeply and at times brought almost the whole theater to tears.
But if you are not a fan and are going to go watch the movie, here are a few tips. First, you should research the band a little before going; you don’t want to go into this totally clueless. Next, listen to some of their songs. Since the documentary has some concert clips in it, you might as well know songs that will each take five minutes of the movie. Finally, be ready to maybe be bombarded by some of the more extreme fans. Most are nice, but many of them are so passionate, that when Taylor Swift, ex-girlfriend Harry Styles, stars in a commercial before the film starts, they may yell and throw popcorn at the screen.
With these tips in hand, be ready to go to a movie that is quite enjoyable. You will mostly likely be in the company of a passionate audience that is 90% female and almost 100% younger than 17-years-old.