Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of (2015)

Director: Stephen Kijak

Cast: Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean, Kevin Richardson

101 mins. Not Rated.

The Backstreet Boys kind of just disappeared in the mid-2000s. Like many boy bands, the formula just stopped working after a while. The new documentary Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of chronicles the band reuniting for the 2013 album In a World Like This and the ups & downs associated.

Featuring rare footage of the many songs being worked on for the album mixed with a history of the band’s highs and lows and emotional scenes discussing the band’s difficulties in the past years since originally forming.

My big problem with the film is that we get a lot of people that seem to be upset but I wasn’t convinced by the tribulations of their lives. I understand that during the history of the band segments we see how they were screwed by management, but these performers still came off as over-privileged complainers. They bicker amongst each other over who is to blame for this or that and who should get lead vocals.

I imagine the film would be impressive to hardcore fans much in the same way that the many Twilight documentaries outlined the terrible series that it was. It just didn’t work for me.

2/5

-Kyle A. Goethe