While there is simply no denying the Glee gang’s infectious charm for rebranding classic soft rock, contemporary pop and big-ballad show tunes into a flashy up-tempo package, for many viewers the main attraction remains Jane Lynch’s acerbic cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester. This makes her absence from the 3D concert movie all the greater, with a purveying sense that all that’s on offer here is some very upscale karaoke attempting to cash in on fan favour and residual interest in the concert shenanigans of Cyrus, Bieber and Jonas, Inc.
The cast of the show, a hodgepodge ethnic mix of Ohioan high-schoolers united by a love of music and some serious vocal talent, come together here, some contractually bound, to perform as McKinley High’s New Directions Glee Club, performing a number of popular songs and dance routines from the first two seasons of creator Ryan Murphy’s contemporary twist on the Fame formula. And who better to take the helm from Murphy on directing duties than Kevin Tancharoen, the man behind the 2009 reboot of the leg-warmer antics of the New York Academy of Performing Arts.
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| Having just stamped on his foot, he really was in agony |
And Tancharoen does a fine job of committing the high-gloss show to celluloid, with the performances, a number of foot-tapping numbers ranging from Broadway to Gaga, all clearly presented and interspliced with shots of the enthusiastic and feverous crowd. And certainly, the crowd are loving it, but the spectacle and atmosphere on offer the in the Izod Center, New Jersey, never really permeates beyond the screen, despite a 3D rendering that offers very little to the proceedings.
To keep the ball rolling, the cavalcade of crooning is broken up with fan footage, with every age, race, gender and creed all espousing a love of everything Glee. Three fans in particular, a dwarf cheerleader, a girl suffering from Asperger’s, and a young gay male whose diary of crushes was passed around his school, are all featured in a series of talking-heads, each citing Glee as the turning point in helping them become accepted and accept themselves. While their tales of societal prejudice and crippled self-esteem are all relatively sad, their inclusion and depiction become increasingly cloying to the point of self parody, and it would have been nice to see these perennial misfits actually getting to meet their idols rather than just becoming another squealing face in the crowd.
Of the stars themselves, we get to see very little of the action back stage, with only a few shots of the cast in their make-up room, and far fewer catty barbs than the average episode offers. As they perform in character on stage, this is perhaps a deliberate decision to maintain the ruse, but it makes for a rather one note film, granted one sung in homogenised harmonised perfection.
Frankly, for wanting in Cheerios, the film is lacking in cheer. Though the wee Asian Warbler is ridiculously cute:
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Released Nationwide: August 19th
Runtime: 84 Mins
Certificate: PG
Though, on closer inspection, the toddler is clearly singing a song about having sex...
ReplyDeleteBut his tie comes down to his knees!