Glee: The 3D Concert Movie [Review by Parsi]

I must admit, I am a Gleek.  Apparently not as much as some people featured in Glee 3D, but I nonetheless really enjoy the show.  I did not enjoy the film.

I have always been a little skeptical of concert movies.  In fact, Haus once dragged me kicking and screaming to see a certain film.  The repercussions of that decision still haunt me.  But, I nonetheless enjoyed the movie.  It provided a great deal of biographical information.  We learned about the fans.  We learned about the phenomenon.  Plus, we experienced the phenomenon in all its 3D glory.  It was over the top and crazy, but a good time.

This film follows the cast of Glee on their summer 2011 concert tour and reinvigorates my skepticism about concert movies.

The film really has no biographical elements.  We learn nothing about the cast.  We learn nothing about the show.

It is not just that the film really provides no information of any worth about the show whatsoever; it is also that the cast contact in between numbers is just strange.  The cast occasionally seemed to play themselves.  They much more often are playing their characters.  But also at times playing some form of strange alter-ego of their characters.  I was confused.  It was not cute or interesting.  It was really off-putting.

We also have the obligatory shots of Gleeks shouting and gyrating.  We are additionally presented with very short snippets of the lives of Gleeks who were empowered by the show to feel comfortable in their own skins.  These moments were touching, but given the length (short) and the depth (shallow) of the segments, at times rang a little hollow.

But, this highlights precisely what was wrong with the movie.  We hear endless testimonials from fans celebrating the message of the show, but we see nothing of what the fans celebrate.  There is no warmth in this film.  The cast does not explore the stories of the show.  The cast does not explore their own stories.  The people who made this movie seem completely oblivious to what makes the show a success.  It is as if they completely ignored the very fans they were interviewing in making this film.  I am not surprised that Haus was left wondering why this show is a phenomenon, because we do not even get a glimmer of it in this movie.  If you thought Season 2 lost its direction, here we have no direction at all (New or otherwise).

Sure, there are occasional fun moments.  We see a mini-Blaine adorably recite and mimic scenes form the show.  Some of the songs are fun.  There is even a celebrity cameo.  But, at the end, you feel really let down.

I guess I should have listened to Sue Sylvester’s warning.  Please heed mine.  You are better off served watching Season 1 on Blu-ray than watching this film.  Almost everything you love about the show will not be in the movie.

PARSI VERDICT:  The film has none of the glee it is meant to celebrate.    

See what the other half thinks: Haus’s view.