Inspired by Bieber

I'm not a girl under the age of 18. So I realize that the producers of Justin Bieber's Never Say Never could care less whether I saw his film. This was apparent on Sunday when my fire-haired fiance took me to see the film this afternoon. We were surrounded by a gaggle of pre-teen girls, with parents of the kids being only people being older than the two of us.

I'm not sure why my fire-haired lady took me to see it. It's one of the qualities I love about her, the silly things she does and the fun surprises that she springs on me from time to time. I didn't think I'd enjoy the film. I've never been a fan of Bieber's music, don't own any of his albums, posters, etc.


Any pre-conceived thoughts I had about the movie not being good were thrown out five minutes into it. I absolutely loved Never Say Never. The film started off with funny Youtube clips, which gave way to Youtube videos of Justin Bieber singing. From here, we get a countdown to his concert at Madison Square Garden, while being told about his childhood, his relationship with his parents, grandparents, how he was discovered, and more information that Wikipedia probably explains better than I can.

Random thoughts about the film, which I will probably purchase on Blu Ray soon.

• The kid has real musical talent. Early in the film, we see him playing drums as a youngster, then going nuts on them during a concert. Concert and video clips also show him playing the guitar and piano. Oh, and his singing is on key and fun to listen to. This musical talent assures us that Justin Bieber is not going anywhere. He's not a flash in the pan. With music that good, even if he were to fall out of favor in the pop scene, he has enough skills to thrive in another musical setting.

• Justin Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, says that they received countless rejections from record execs when trying to find a label for Justin. Who in the blue **** were those people, and how stupid are they?

• Faith plays a huge part in the boy's life. We don't hear Justin explicitly talk about God or Christ, but I counted three instances of Justin and his family/friends praying "in the name of Jesus Christ." Justin's mom also mentions how her faith got her through the struggles of being a single mom.

• He's a good kid. Now I know that documentaries can be one-sided, cutting out unsavory things that audiences don't "need" to see. And I know Justin Bieber, being 16-years-old, isn't perfect. But on camera (not just in the film), he comes across as a kid who loves his fans, is very respectful to his parents and the people who help him put on concerts.

• Hard work pays off. Here's the part that I was most impressed with. The message the film gives to kids (other than Justin Bieber is awesome) is that he got to where he was with hard work and dedication. He didn't learn those drums overnight. He practiced. He didn't wait for someone to discover him. He took the initiative to put countless videos of his singing performances on Youtube. The film shows Bieber (spoiler alert) coming in second at a talent show and shows him telling a young violinist playing on the sidewalk that he used to do the same thing, and to keep practicing. (end spoiler alert). Achieving your dreams through hard work is a message that more people need to heed.

As annoying as some people probably think Bieber is, I gained a newfound respect for him after seeing the film. Will I go out and buy one of his album? Probably: the music was really catchy, full of energy, and eight hours later, I'm still humming "Never Say Never." But he's likeable, respectful, musically-gifted and hard-working.

If kids are looking up to Justin Bieber as a role model, the kid who worked hard for his success, then they are good hands. We as a society are always lamenting the idea of kids becoming lazy and selfish. To mock someone who is the antithesis of that would be as stupid as those record execs who shot Justin Bieber down.