During the dog days of summer, after a record breaking heat wave and a slew of anticipated summer movies that proved to be disappointing, sometimes you just need a little Glee. The small screen hit makes the ambitious leap to the big screen this weekend, in a move that will please fans and possibly irritate others.
Every member of New Directions is present for this concert event filmed over two days at the Izod Center in New Rutherford, NJ, and they are present on camera in their TV characters. Backstage interviews between songs capture them all like giddy high school kids excited for their chance to be on stage in front of a crowd, much like the backstage excitement they exude on the show. Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) informs us of her pre-show routine, Kurt (Chris Colfer) primps, Brittany (Heather Morris) makes silly comments and Mercedes (Amber Riley) giggles hysterically.
Soon enough though, New Directions bounces onstage and belts out their signature cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and whether you’ve never heard their version or heard it a thousand times, their energy is infectious and never slows down through the duration of the concert. They perform hits from the first and second seasons of Glee, such as Puck’s version of “Fat Bottomed Girls”, Artie’s “Safety Dance”, Brittany’s “I’m a Slave 4 U”, Kurt’s “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”, and Finn’s “Jessie’s Girl”. After being told by a cameraman that Barbra Streisand is in the audience, Rachel looks nervous backstage before performing her showstopping rendition of “Don’t Rain On My Parade”. Mercedes sings the heartbreaking “Ain’t No Way”, but can’t help grinning wildly at her fans during musical breaks.
Fan favorites The Warblers also make an appearance, singing three songs in their perfect a capella. With Blaine (Darren Criss) on lead vocals, The Warblers even turned the grown female members in my screening audience to squealing teenagers. Darren Criss turns to the audience on “Silly Love Songs” and asks them to sing background vocals, then they perform Pink’s “Raise Your Glass” asking the entire audience to embrace their inner “dirty little freak”.
As the audience members of every age and background scream wildly and sing along to every word, we’re reminded that Glee speaks profoundly to people, and that’s the very reason why the show is so successful in the first place. Between song numbers, we get to see inside looks at three fans whose lives have been changed by Glee and its powerful message to be proud of who you are. We also get to see an adorable young boy who dances along to Darren Criss’s performances on the show. This little boy nearly steals the entire movie. Be sure to stay during the credits for more of him.
The only things missing from the film are Mr. Schuster and Sue Sylvester, although Gwyneth Paltrow makes a brief appearance as Holly Holiday to perform “Forget You” by Cee-Lo Green. The DVD release has already been promised to have footage from the concert tour with Mr. Schu and Sue though. Glee: The 3D Concert Movie is only in theaters for two weeks and if you missed the tour, this is your only chance to see it with a Gleek-filled audience. It’s a chance to put the glee back in your life between seasons.
Director: Kevin Tancharoen
Notable Cast: Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Dianna Argon, Heather Morris, Amber Riley, Kevin McHale, Ashley Fink, Harry Shum Jr, Naya Rivera, Mark Salling, Chord Overstreet, Cory Monteith, Jenna Ushkowitz
