Glee The 3D Concert Movie Wont Impress The Critics but it Might You
By Greg Hernandez | Permalink | http://greginhollywood.com/
The Glee phenomenon just continues to grow and, I must say, I’m just as big a fan as I ever was.
Love the talent and the energy of the cast and am looking forward to seeing them on the big screen this weekend in Glee: The 3-D Concert Movie. I’m not sure why I have to see them in 3D but hey, I’ll roll with it.
But reviews have not been kind. Here’s a sampling:
Entertainment Weekly: Even Gleeks who love to watch seasoned showbiz belters pretend to be high school kids on the hit TV series Glee may wince at the cheesy marketing angle of Glee the 3D Concert Movie. And I report this as a former geeky high school alto who is, if not a Gleek, at least Glee friendly. To fluff up what is essentially a raggedy recording of the recently concluded, brand-extending North American tour known as Glee Live! In Concert!, the movie intersperses musical numbers with selected inspirational stories about fans whose lives have improved because of their devotion to the show. These happy, excited aficionados see the world differently now! They realize that there are no Losers, just all kinds of different people! And that’s cool: A peppy dwarf cheerleader identifies with the Cheerios of fictional William McKinley High School; a gay young man finds inspiration in the courage of fictional Kurt (Chris Colfer) to be himself; an outsider with Asperger’s syndrome thinks of fictional Brittany (Heather Morris) as her best friend, and in turn finds real friendship in the fellowship of other Gleeks.
The positive power of a TV show to encourage tolerance and compassion among its viewers is a wonderful thing. But these ”success stories” tilt uncomfortably toward self-congratulation on the part of the producers; certainly they register as overkill for the intended audience, who presumably already know how awesome it is that there’s a place in the high school universe where students as different as Artie (Kevin McHale) in his wheelchair, Mercedes (Amber Riley) the plus-sized diva, and Puck (Mark Salling) the bullying football player, can all find joy singing covers of Lady Gaga and BeyoncĂ© hits.
The Hollywood Reporter: A self-congratulatory air envelopes Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, a blatant commodity designed to illustrate what a splendid influence the hit television show has been on the world at large, if the series’ creators don’t mind saying so themselves. Not a moment too short at 84 minutes, this pacy compendium interlards two dozen musical numbers with testimonials from fans and cast members about how amazing Glee is, a claim only momentarily backed up by this routinely made promo item. Whatever initial theatrical success the Fox release might enjoy will be short-lived.
The Washington Post: Filled with infectiously energetic renditions of pop tunes plucked straight from the repertoires of the show’s competitive crooning groups, the New Directions and the Warblers – from Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” to Pink’s “Raise Your Glass” – the movie is entertaining and, admittedly, completely unnecessary. Yes, it works well enough in theaters. But it also would have worked just as well as a heavily promoted special television event broadcast over Thanksgiving weekend.
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