By Meg Hodson
Last night with my daughter, I attended the one-weekend-only exclusive screening of the new One Direction concert film Where We Are. My daughter and I love these girls' night outs! We've done them before, once for the One Direction This Is Us film; another for 1D school supplies. One Direction has not made a concert stop in Portland, Oregon yet (fingers still crossed!) so I thought this was a perfect substitution for the real thing.
After a nice dinner together, we headed to the movie. It was only playing at one theater in the area for a few screenings. We got there early and were the second to arrive! We got perfect seats. It kind of reminded me of when I was younger and went to buy concert tickets in the pre-internet days. Remember "camping out" and standing in line for tickets? I suppose our modern day version of that is waiting for the new iPhone at the Apple Store. The theater quickly filled, with most guests wearing their favorite One Direction shirts and gear.
As we waited, fans were getting excited, too.....
The film started with a casual, fun interview conducted by Ben Winston, the film's main producer. The One Direction boys were comfortable, genuine, a bit funny, and, of course, adorable. They touched on the tour and tour life. It was a good lead-in to the concert we were about to see.
The concert film was everything a One Direction would crave: "front row" viewing of the stage, close-ups and swoonworthy shots of all the boys, and a great selection of their music. The audience squealed and shrieked with delight at the high notes and close-ups of their favorite 1D member. The concert film covered most of the songs off their current album, Midnight Memories. They also included classic hits like What Makes You Beautiful, One Thing, Little Things (complete with phone flashlights waving through the theater audience), and their anthem Best Song Ever.
I understand this was meant to be a concert experience....and the film delivered on that. By the end, theater goers were dancing in their seats. My daughter did remark, though, that she would've have liked a bit more behind-the-scenes coverage in between some of the footage (similar to their first film, This Is Us). We got this ever so slightly when the boys (except Liam) took a bathroom break backstage. She still, though, had a great time and enjoyed the film. To be honest, I enjoyed it, too.
Look for Where We Are Coming to DVD November 28th.
P.S. Please come to Portland, Oregon!!!
