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Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) is California-born pop star Billie Eilish’s third concert film.HENRY HWU/Supplied
Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)
Directed by James Cameron and Billie Eilish
Starring Billie Eilish, James Cameron
Classification N/A; 115 minutes
Opens May 8
Artists the stature of Beyoncé and Bob Dylan have banned phones at their concerts. They and others believe the gadgets take away from the live music experience. Pop star Billie Eilish, on the other hand, has no issue with fans having phones.
And that’s a shame. For if she had restricted cameras on her latest tour, director James Cameron wouldn’t have been able to make Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), a titanically unexciting concert movie.
Time and time again, Cameron trains his camera rig on young female fans watching the concert with their phones held high. If it’s not a sea of cellphones, it’s their tear-streaked faces zeroed in on, ad nauseum.
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The film documents the singer’s stops in Manchester, England, as part of the Bad Guy worldwide 2024 tour.HENRY HWU/Supplied
Eilish specializes in moody introspection. She whisper-sings relatable songs about anxiety, relationships and identity, and her followers react to the music intensely. While it is important to capture that emotion to exhibit the full Eilish concert experience, the repetitiveness suggests a lack of ideas. Worse, it smacks of emotional manipulation. What’s next, a room full of puppies?
There is, in fact, a backstage scene with the singer, an advocate for animal rights, cuddling a bunch of tail-wagging dogs.
In a scathing review of Cameron’s Titanic, writer Lindy West famously described the 1997 saltwater epic as a film for “for 15-year-old girls.” With Hit Me Hard and Soft, Cameron once again wades into that (lucrative) demographic.
The film documents Eilish concerts in Manchester, England, part of the Bad Guy singer’s worldwide 2024 tour. That this is the Californian’s third concert film (succeeding 2021’s Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles and 2023’s Billie Eilish: Live at the O2) is an indication that the genre is devalued today. These unremarkable movies are souvenirs, like tour programs and posters.
This one’s in 3-D, a gimmick looking for a film. Cameron distances himself from the project early on, telling Eilish that this is “your show” and “your creative vision.” He says she should get a director’s credit, and she is indeed listed as the film’s co-director.
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Director James Cameron, left, and Eilish on the set of the film.HENRY HWU/Supplied
I frequently feel embarrassed for Cameron. He fawns over Eilish like a grandfather, tossing softball questions during the clearly rehearsed interviews that break up the concert segments. Often, he coaches the 24-year-old star as if she were a child.
When she explains that she’s not sexy or girly, Cameron prompts, “But you’re you.” To which Eilish responds, “I’m me.”
She talks about the intimacy of her concerts and the me-and-them fan experience. Cameron: “You love that.” Eilish: “I love that.”
I hate that. This is a 3-D film sorely lacking in dimension. Hit me hard, hit me soft, Cameron, but hit me with something.