The question hanging over One Direction’s heads, over the heads of any boy band or popstar or hitmaker or flavor of the moment, is how long can this go on? The unique thing about this group is that of the ones who speak on the subject, they don’t seem to mind the thought of disappearing from the public eye. The prospect that this fame and money could only be temporary is actually cited as a benefit for Liam, for instance, who fantasizes about meeting a girl who doesn’t already know his name and know the character he plays on TV, and having a family and moving back home. It’s almost enough to make a movie lover hope that they do go away in a few years, leave music altogether, and we can check back in with them every 7 years to see how they’re doing, like a Michael Apted series. Because what’s clear from both the history of pop culture and the fanaticism demonstrated in the movie is that it’s impossible to sustain this level of demand and hysteria for very long. It’s just exhausting.
Either Spurlock himself deserves props for pressing the band members on this question, or else it’s a testament to the guys and the people around them for making this a topic of which they’re acutely aware. There are other topics that are touched on briefly but not explored too deeply, which is unfortunate but understandable due to time and interest constraints. The toll the insane story of One Direction has taken on the families of the band members is fascinating, but may be best suited for another movie. There’s a brief revelation where they point out that since their days on The X Factor, the boys have essentially returned to their homes for literally a few days. That’s over the course of 3 years, at least the way the movie presents it. Ultimately, the primary question asked is why the hysteria over these five ordinary guys? The explicit answer given amounts to “I don’t know. People just like them.” But the implied explanation over the course of the movie is that there were indications of certain levels of likeability, and Cowell and company capitalized on that and continue and will continue to do so for as long as possible, because that’s the way the system works. Do your one thing well, and then it’s on to the next thing. At least Liam’s okay with this.
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