'Justin Bieber's Believe,' Directed by Jon M. Chu
The key moment in ' Justin Bieber's Believe,' the new hagiographical film, comes in the second half, in a segment that touches ever so lightly upon Mr. Bieber's tumultuous public image over the last year. The scene is London, this past March - a small cluster of paparazzi are egging Mr. Bieber on, and he takes the bait, jumping at them and getting held back by a bodyguard. At least half of the conversation (on both sides) is bleeped.
'I happened to snap,' Mr. Bieber says of the incident. 'I wanted to hit him.'
Depending how you get your news about Mr. Bieber, this is either a sanitized version of very public events or a jolt of reality intruding onto Mr. Bieber's unsullied dreamboat narrative.
That scene alone doesn't save this film from being another piece of propaganda for the Bieber proletariat, but it is, at the very least, an acknowledgment that the days of pure fluff are over. To understand Mr. Bieber - at 19 already a veteran pop star - going forward, he needs to be seen as both an idol and a target, a child and a man.
That said, films like this work best when exalting is the task, and when it comes to displaying Mr. Bieber in his milieu - on stage - it shines. The footage is arresting and crisp, and Mr. Bieber is in his element: he's not the most outgoing pop star but he has the requisite attitude, and his mild cool comes through clearly.
But that is the bulk of what 'Believe' has to say about its subject. We see far more of Mr. Bieber on stage than in an interview chair, and the interview is conducted by Jon M. Chu, the film's director, who keeps the conversation light apart from noting to Mr. Bieber that, 'You are the perfect candidate to become a train wreck,' a suggestion quickly parried.
'Believe' lacks the genuine emotional swells of 2011's 'Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,' except for one section in which Mr. Bieber talks about Avalanna Routh, a fan who suffered from a rare form of cancer since she was 18 months old and who died last year at age 6. 'I miss her, bro,' he says, tears falling down his cheeks.
Fans in the theater at the screening I caught - the film was not screened for critics - were crying here, too. And in the film it's fans who do most of the emotional heavy lifting, as seen in home videos and earnest YouTube clips, and in the crowd at his show, screaming unreservedly. One scene is filmed from inside his car as he leaves a venue, a swarm of girls flooding every window - it's intense and frightening.
On Christmas Eve, the day before the film's release, Mr. Bieber took to Twitter with a message: 'My beloved beliebers I'm officially retiring.' (Anyone want to bet on that? Even Mr. Bieber appeared to back off a little bit later.) At best, it was a cynical ploy to gin up interest in the film. At worst, it was a cry for help.
If it's that, then the secondary interviews with Mr. Bieber's intimates, all of which have just a touch of black cloud hovering overhead, are extra resonant. Scooter Braun, Mr. Bieber's manager, describes the star's journey as 'a constant search for validation.' Usher describes Mr. Bieber's fans as his 'moral compass.' And the producer Rodney Jerkins, while praising Mr. Bieber's abilities, acknowledges that the young star has experienced only victory thus far: 'He doesn't really understand what the loss looks like.' But he's starting to - imagine what that movie would look like, if anyone is brave enough to make it.
'Justin Bieber's Believe' is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested.) Excessive pop star polish.
Justin Bieber's Believe
Opened on Wednesday.
Directed by Jon M. Chu; director of photography, Karsten (Crash) Gopinath; edited by Avi Youabian and Jillian Moul; music by Nathan Lanier; produced by Justin Bieber, Scooter Braun, Bill O'Dowd, Usher Raymond IV and Garrett Grant; released by Open Road Films. Running time: 1 hour 32 minutes.
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