Although I by no means would consider myself to have ‘Bieber Fever’, Justin Bieber’s movie Never Say Never actually far exceeded my expectations.

Going into the theater, I expected to see a million teenage girls crying over Justin Bieber on screen while he sang cheesy pop songs that I’ve never heard before.

And while there was a lot of that, there was also a lot more to it. The movie gave insight into the life of a singer on tour, showed Bieber’s childhood and rise to fame and detailed his journey to selling out Madison Square Garden earlier this year.

The film, to my surprise, was largely touching and sentimental. His mother and grandparents talked about his childhood in a small Canadian town, and Bieber returned home to show the cameras his former house, friends and life.

Home videos from his early years showed a young Bieber singing and playing the guitar, drums and piano. Turns out, the kid is actually pretty talented.

And although the film does highlight his supposed good looks and famous hairstyle, it also reveals a hardworking and dedicated side of him that I think we can all relate to.

The staff that interacts with Bieber on a daily basis was also interviewed, and each and every one of them, from his vocal coach to his security guard, raved about how sweet, funny and normal Justin really is.

Even with all of the fame, it is clear that he has still retained some form of childhood, whether it was playing video games on his days off or laughing with the crew. The movie stresses the importance of not getting too wrapped up in fame, and portrays Justin as ‘just another kid’.

However, it’s clear that Bieber possesses pretty enormous star power for a mere 16-year-old. A number of stars appeared in the movie, including Usher, Miley Cyrus, Sean Kingston, Ludacris, Jaden Smith and Boyz II Men.

And I’m aware that the ‘Fever’ is rampant worldwide, but I was surprised by the wide range of fans that he has; the fans camping out for tickets to his concert ranged from 3 year old girls to grown women, all crying and screaming his name.

The group of 6 year old girls sitting in the row behind me in the theater seemed to be pretty big fans too; they knew the words to every song and sang loud for all to hear every chance they got.

So, all in all, I think it’s safe to say that  the movie will change a lot of people’s minds about Justin Bieber. His genuine personality definitely proved that he is more than just another teen idol, and we may be seeing him around for a while.

And while I’m definitely not lining up for tickets to his concert anytime soon, I do have a lot more respect for both Bieber and his music. I thought I would never call myself a ‘Belieber’, but he’s proved that you can never say never.