Half Full of Glee

Regular readers of the blog may recall that I attempt to "amortize" the cost of having HBO for just one or two shows by finding movies to DVR and watch. On a lark, in a recent search for movies, I decided to check out last summer's blatant cross-marketing money grab, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie. What can I say? For all I criticize Glee (often), I still love watching it. Now, the idea of paying to seeing the movie in a theater (with a 3D upcharge, no less) was unthinkable, but for the cost of the already-paid-for HBO? Sure, I'll bite.

The movie was a filmed concert from Glee's national tour last summer. Between every few numbers were intercut segments showing Glee fans, a few with "inspiring tales" of their own about what the show means to them. There was also a sprinkling of "candid" moments with the cast backstage before the performance. And I put "candid" in quotes deliberately, because these moments had all of the kids acting in character rather than appearing as themselves.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this movie. It wasn't realistic to expect much. But I got both less and more than those expectations.

The tone was that of a DVD special featurette. The fan interviews were often awkward, and the production values on them minimal. But there were moments. There were three ongoing stories told in multiple segments, and I have to admit that there were brief sections in all of them that were surprisingly moving.

The concert songs were a mixed bag. Even though the movie was only 90 minutes long, I got a little too antsy at times to actually sit through all of it. I fast forwarded through a few songs I don't like, performers I think are weaker, that sort of thing. But then there were other numbers that looked and sounded pretty phenomenal in the live venue, and made me think that, silly as it may sound, seeing the Glee concert in person might have been pretty entertaining.

So how do I give a grade to all that? Well, I wouldn't watch it again. But the truth is, I've seen far worse movies. But then, this wasn't really a movie, but rather a prolonged commercial. I don't know... C-? C? Some middle of the road rating like that. I suppose in terms of recommendation, if I'm not enough of a Glee fan to watch the entire thing and be enthusiastic about it, I can't imagine you'd want to sit through it.