Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
(Starring Lea Michele, Core Monteith, Chris Colfer, Heather Morris, Darren Criss)
Nothing yet is stopping the star-spangled, pop culture steamroller that is Glee the TV show Rolling Stone calls the “Gayest. Show. Ever.” Watch the show, buy the songs, attend the concert, and now, see the movie!
Glee's slushy formula for success is handsome twenty-something actors pretending to be high schoolers. They sing and dance Top 40 Pop and show tunes to teach us all a lesson or two about tolerance. Of course, many adults especially the LGBT community are self-professed Gleeks; I think because of Glee's shiny joy at embracing the nerd in all of us.
We're all losers, so we all belong; it's a powerful message, even if it is a bit prepackaged for maximum profitability. No one can deny that mass entertainment can change people's minds and hearts; TV is the panacea that puts tolerance in everyone's living room every Tuesday night. (There is, however, an irony that the same company sponsoring Fox News also produces Glee. Maybe it's not so weird when you consider that both programs make shareholders scads of cash.)
So after the show's improbable success, there was a concert tour, which basically recreated the top hits of the show, replete with the same hip costumes and fiery choreography. The Glee gang toured the world, but they could not get into every nook and cranny of our psyches. So the creators have also filmed this 3D movie, presumably so the people in Wapello, Iowa, can also experience the tolerance and have these songs stuck on an endless loop in their heads for weeks on end.
Also, this is good fan-food for a show on season hiatus.
How does the movie do? There is no question the cast is talented. There is, however, a question about how many of these vocals are pre-recorded. Also, the addition of sexy, distracting dancers tells us this is more about spectacle than skill. Backstage, the actors show a gift for improv, always staying in character. Breakout stars like Darren Criss (the charming Blaine, who every gay man wishes he was in high school) and dopey Heather Morris (Brittany!) shine.
The filming puts us right on stage with these catchy, high-energy tunes. The 3D stuff is a gimmick; really, did we need to see the microphone jutting out at us to feel close to the characters? And all that's keeping this Fox show from becoming a Disney extravaganza is the use of actual glitter in the movie theaters (presumably, because cleaning confetti off of sticky movie floors would be a bitch!)
In between the songs are bits about how Glee has touched “real” people: a dwarf, a Goth girl with Asperger Syndrome, and a teenaged kid forced out of the closet in junior high. These bits feel even more choreographed than the dances. However, they also do show us how Glee has affected the cultural landscape.
Does this review sound biased? I admit I watch every new episode of the show (though I believe the plot has never been as involved as the first season). I even download some of the tunes, and I walk around singing them in my head, a unique form of Chinese Water Torture. I also wholeheartedly believe in Glee's message.
So, maybe I should have never gone online and searched to see just how much Glee merchandise was available, including every song and piece of clothing from this film. In a few months, even this concert movie will be on DVD, and I'll be out another 35 bucks, or more if I have to buy the 3D glasses separately. Which I probably will.
