RogerEbert.com — One Direction: This Is Us
When the fine folks at RogerEbert.com needed a review of the One Direction documentary, they came to the right place. I definitely have some thoughts on the lads — “a confection, held together by hair product and harmony” — as well as the glossy, superficial way director Morgan Spurlock depicts them.
About a year ago . . . the first time I heard of One Direction . . . a mother’s group (ala 1960’s ultra conservative Anita Bryant who warned against corruption of our children through subversive music) warned that Zayn Malik was going to convert American little girls into Muslims.
So, on his cable talk show, “Totally BIased,” W. Kamau Bell gathered a group of five girls, all about 12-years-old, super fans of One Direction. He asked each of them if Malik was turning them Muslim. They seemed perplexed and confused by his questions, so he moved on to other question about their favorite band.
http://youtu.be/r4fkeYlqQ3w
When you said on “What The Flick” that Malik is probably the most famous Muslim singer today, this is probably why that fact was never mentioned in the documentary.
Cowell isn’t seeking controversy. He’s creating a cash cow.
“[W]e never get a sense of them as real people with recognizable, human emotions beyond joy or gratitude.” Why do you suppose this is? I mean, this is as packaged as pop gets, but Spurlock has a reputation of tearing down the conventional narrative and replacing it with something more probing. Why do you suppose he became, as you so aptly put it, “a cog in the machine”? My brain gets to wondering whether this is a one-off exception in Spurlock’s work or if he has changed direction in his priorities. Because the last thing we need is what this appears to be — packaging of packaging.
Spurlock’s been doing specials at CNN and he’s a recurring guest (and a go to guest when someone doesn’t show up) so I’m thinking he’s gone mainstream. Probably pays more regularly and better than documentary work, which most people, I suspect, do for love.
Sorry, didn’t finish my thought . . . Spurlock’s been a recurring guest on Piers Morgan.
Ted, I suspect it’s very hard to say no when Simon Cowell asks you to do something. I think the intention was to keep things light and poppy and accessible for the widest possible audience — to keep their image intact. And as you say, hopefully it’s a one-off.