So I wouldn’t call myself a super fan of Shawn Mendes, but I do enjoy his songs and have a few in particular that I really like and have on my phone. To be perfectly honest, I’m more of a fan of him (due to my fairly large crush I have for him) than I am of his songs. I mean yes I’ve crushed on him for some time, like so many others have, but not just because of his killer good looks. There’s something very real and humble about him and his personality that isn’t always present in other stars. This personality, among other things, is what makes Shawn Mendes: In Wonder so feel good and heartwarming.
With documentaries, it’s so important to assemble the components that are needed to tell things in a robust way. I want a documentary to end with me feeling like I’ve seen something all encompassing, with me having been touched in some way by the behind the scenes story they’ve told. In the case of Shawn Mendes: In Wonder, because of Mendes himself, the presence of the people he cares about, and filmmakers who know what they’re doing, this film ends up working pretty well.
Feelings and emotions run high in Shawn Mendes: In Wonder and that is a great thing for something like this. This isn’t a biography full of facts, this is someone pulling back the curtain on a part of an artist’s journey and letting us get a sense of what it all feels like. And I must say that is one of the coolest parts of films like this… letting us feel what they feel and getting a sense of this person on a more intimate level. So often we see stars as this perfect type of figure on a red carpet but they’re people like you and I at the end of the day and this film shows that in the case of Shawn Mendes.
I really enjoyed the scenes where it features Shawn with his family or with friends or his girlfriend Camila Cabello. These are the scenes where we get to see him just as a person. He’s not on a stage or on the red carpet; he’s just hanging out and being normal. There is a lot of very obvious love in his life and that’s just lovely to see, especially in the times we’ve all been going through over the past year.
Shawn’s personality throughout this whole thing is a big reason why he has such a big following and why people love him so much. Now, of course people do love him for his incredible voice and his good looks, but his loving laid back personality is also a big attraction. A lot of people, myself included, can’t stand overly arrogant stars who forget those that helped them along the way. Shawn is very clearly not a stuck up arrogant celebrity and this film highlights that in a very positive way.
Another thing that I thought was very smart was the inclusion of the cancellation of one of his shows and showing some behind the scenes footage of how that affected him and how awful that made him feel to have to do that. Including this shows that superstars like Shawn that are beloved by millions have a lot of pressure on them not to disappoint and when they have to do something like this, it’s heartbreaking to them because no one wants to let down people who love and adore them. Among all the fun and dream like experiences of being a star on tour, there’s still times of pain and disappointment too and I liked that they showed that because it would’ve been unrealistic of them not to. And on top of all this, there is some really well shot footage of the live concert performances during the tour. The shots of the stadium crowds and all the electricity is thrilling and like I already said, dream like.
Shawn Mendes: In Wonder isn’t the best documentary ever made but it meets its goal by giving us a tender heartfelt glimpse into this superstars life.
A rom com that succeeds also based on its genuine characters
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