A Mom's Review of the One Direction Movie

Before I talk about the review, I want to say that one of the biggest reasons I decided to do this midnight premiere thing is because I know EXACTLY how excited my girls are over this band. I was the EXACT same way when I was 15 and Duran Duran was THE BIG THING. Every generation of young girls should have their BIG THING and, IN MY OPINION, sometimes it's good to give in to your kids' wishes when you know how big an impact it will make on them, both now and in later years. They worked hard to complete the tasks they said they'd complete. They kept their end of the deal. Thinking back on my own teen years, fan-girling over my favorite band, Duran Duran, I had the opportunity to see them twice in concert and know what an amazing experience it is for a teenage girl, so I really wanted to do this for my girls, because they're like me. I knew they'd love it. And I'd rather be remembered by my girls as the mom who did special things for them instead of the mean mom who said NO all the time. (mind you, I do say NO quite a bit, but in this case, I knew how much it meant to them).When we were sitting in traffic before the Hershey Park 1D concert, I had the windows down and we were blaring the CD and Amanda told me I was 'the coolest mom ever.' Sometimes a mom needs to hear that. It's validation.

So here it is, a bright and sunny early (and I do mean freaking early) Friday morning after a late night last night. My girls and I made a deal: if they made the bus every day from the beginning of the school year, clean out (vacuumed, dusted, etc) the guest room and got both their rooms spotless, I'd take them to the midnight premiere of the One Direction: This Is Us movie. Shockingly enough, they held up their end of the bargain. Who knew?

Last night after dinner, I went upstairs (while they were still cleaning/studying/fan-girling) and took a nap in preparation for the late night I knew I'd have. I woke up at around 8:20 and just for shits and giggles, logged on to the Regal Cinema site to see what the deal was for the movie. How pleasantly surprised I was to see that the midnight premiere was NOT, in fact, at midnight, but it was at 10:00! MUCH better. I let the girls know that they had exactly ONE HOUR to finish, then we'd leave.

I had planned to bring my earplugs, fully expecting a cacophony of screaming teens, much like I experienced at the One Direction concert back in July. However, when we arrived at the theater at 9:40, the parking lot was nearly empty and the theater was dark and all I could think of was "CRAP!! What the hell???" When we walked in and presented our tickets they told us the theater was to the left. We got our popcorn and headed over the theater 2 and sat with the 9 other girls that were there to see the movie. No lie. 9 other people plus us. BONUS! No ear plugs needed. After what seemed like an endless showing of movie previews, the movie started.

It. Was. Great. It was an honest look at the onstage and behind the scenes lives that these boys live. It wasn't just a concert movie like I was expecting. The filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, filmed the boys' lives on tour. The good and the bad. Parents sad and missing their sons. Louis paying a visit to his Nan, Harry visiting the bakery where he worked before auditioning for the X-Factor. We saw the madness of screaming fans and the truth that the boys felt about it. The insanity of being pulled at (Liam nearly lost an ear!), fawned over, screamed at and how lonely that really can be. They sit around a campfire wondering what their lives will end up like, will they do this forever? Will they settle down and get married and have a family? Will a girl want to be with them because of the person they are on the inside and not because of WHO they are on the outside.

The movie is an honest look at what it's like for them to be away from their families for extended periods of time. Zayn bought a house, his mother and sisters got the keys and moved in and called him. Mom cried about how proud of him she was, how much it meant to her that he did this for them and he was visibly moved, glad that he was able to do this for her but saddened that he wasn't there to enjoy the new place with them. It really was an intimate look at their insights, their relationship with their families and with one another.

I enjoyed the film, and I'm so glad that my girls enjoyed it as well. It was worth going to such a late movie on a school night. I'd take them again in a heartbeat because it was a great bonding experience for the 3 of us. AND their rooms are clean, which is a bonus.

Oh and 15's calling me a closet 'Directioner' because I said I liked the movie. So I told her she's a closet 'Duranie' because she liked the Duran Duran concert we attended together. Ah the joys of motherhood.