I knew I was getting older when out of nowhere I was hearing about this musical sensation called One Direction, a band comprised of Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik, all of whom had completed as soloists on Simon Cowell's British version of "The X Factor" and were assembled by Cowell into what has become yet the latest band to qualify as teen heartthrobs. 

I find myself wanting to pop out a one-liner about how director Morgan Spurlock was the perfect choice to direct this music doc given that a musical diet of only One Direction for any length of time would likely drive anyone completely insane. 

But, I'm resisting. 

Okay, maybe not. 

Truthfully, Spurlock does add a nice touch to a fairly run-of-the-mill yet charming enough musical doc that will most assuredly please the worldwide legion of fans whom affectionately know the quintet as 1D. While Spurlock serves up the expected grandiose concert shots in jam-packed stadiums and over-utilizes a completely unnecessary 3-D, One Direction: This is Us shines rather brightly when Spurlock simply focuses the camera on this group of five young men who all came from working class families and who seem to have a rather working class attitude towards their success that they realize could go away at any time. The scenes of One Direction on the road also paint a glossy yet fairly realistic picture of the rigors of the road and the fact that it's not all "fame and glory" but there is genuinely hard work involved. 

There's nothing brilliant to be found in One Direction: This Is Us, but if your teen or 'tween is a fan you can certainly go far more wrong than taking them to this light yet reasonably entertaining band that may have you fondly remembering your own days as a fan of teen heartthrobs from years gone by. 

© Written by Richard Propes 
The Independent Critic