To consider viewing anything "Glee"-related, much less a big-screen 3-D extravaganza, you must accept -- no, embrace -- the undeniable cheese.
Always endearing, sometimes irritating, the characters of the hit TV show (turned concert tour turned 3-D concert movie) never cease to inspire the eye roll, the I-can't-believe-I'm-still-watching-this realization that's just not profound enough to make you change the channel.
"Glee: The 3D Concert Movie" is exactly what it purports to be: a live concert filmed in 3-D. Add streamers, fireworks, fog and misunderstood diva Rachel Berry's face to the objects jumping off the screen, and you get the feeling that you're actually there.
Viewers will, of course, be separated into two camps -- "gleeks," and everyone else.
For "Glee" lovers -- even those who already attended the live concert -- the movie is a must-see. Backstage documentary-like moments where actors are casually in character feed our admittedly irrational but unending desire to believe they're real people. And stories of inspired fans woven throughout will make viewers feel a part of the "Glee" family. (More cheese.)
For those who haven't been caught up in the Fox TV guilty pleasure, the concert delivers the best part -- the music.
Between the embellished numbers, where "Glee" favorites Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) and the lot perform show tunes and pop songs from the hit show's two seasons, filmmakers fortify the bubblegum by spotlighting three concert-goers particularly inspired by "Glee."
One is Janae, who despite being a dwarf joins her high school cheerleading team -- the coach, very unlike Sue Sylvester, admits she's their secret weapon because her size makes her a flier -- and then earns the title "prom princess." Trenton is a gay teenager who was bullied, mocked and forced to change schools when he was outed in eighth grade. And Josey suffers from Asperger syndrome, a form of autism that causes extreme social anxiety.
