'Never Say Never' changes writer's opinion of Bieber

I was a little hesitant when I was given the assignment to go see "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" and review it. This was simply because I had always heard people making fun of Justin Bieber's music and such. On the other hand, I was a little curious to learn more about this teenage girl that seems to have inspired so many "tween" girls to be more like her. I jest, but as you might have guessed, I was among the many that poked fun at Bieber and his long, silky hair, and I just assumed this would fall under the axiom of "know thy enemy."

Imagine my surprise when I left the theater with a newfound respect for Justin and the music he produces.

"Never Say Never" centers around the days leading up to Justin's performance for a sold out Madison Square Garden. Also, while all of this is going on, the film intermittently goes back to friends and family of Justin who are telling the story of how he was "discovered," and about his swift rise to fame.

I was quite impressed to find out that "Biebz" started making music from the age of two, and had never had any formal musical training. Only with a little help from some family friends did Justin learn to sing, play piano, drums, guitar and trumpet, according to the film.

Another thing that I was surprised to find out was what a strong following he has built during his surprisingly short year and a half long career. Speaking of his following, the only part of the movie that made me inconsolably angry were the parts of the film when fans of Justin Bieber were interviewed. I mean, it wasn't as bad at first, but there is a finite amount of 14-year-old girls shrieking about their love for him that I can take

One thing I enjoyed seeing was that, even though Justin was so famous – he was able to sell out Madison Square Garden, a venue that can hold roughly 40,000 people, in a baffling 20 minutes –he still hasn't forgotten that he wouldn't be where he is now if not for all his fans. Throughout the film, there are countless scenes where Justin is "tweeting" to his fans about how he's feeling or how disappointed he is that he has had to cancel a show due to illness. Also revealed is a practice that Bieber's crew call "giving back," where they go out and give premium tickets to people who were unable to procure them by the concert date. I found that to be very humble of "The Biebz."

All in all, I found "Never Say Never" to be a very enjoyable and enlightening film. It showed me that, even though Justin Beiber is ridiculously famous, he is still just like any other 16-year-old boy – aside from all the fame and wealth. Granted, as a 16-year-old boy, that means that he can be a bit of douche at time and completely rebellious of the rules that are set toward him, but he's alright for the most part. And I will say that, while I may not have a raging case of "Bieber Fever," I may have a small case of "Bieber sniffles" after watching this film.