I hate to admit it: I kind of liked the new “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” movie. But not because it’s an amazing piece of filmmaking that I could rank with “The Godfather” or “Casablanca.”

For the most part, the film serves as one long infomercial on Bieber, giving audiences a brief insight into who he is, his unlikely rise to fame and, of course, his adoring, somewhat crazy, mostly adolescent fans.

But director Jon Chu gives enough insight into Bieber’s process and world that it keeps audience members without Bieber Fever still slightly intrigued.

After all, Bieber is a ubiquitous icon in pop culture, making some wish they could teleport back to days when Miley Cyrus was still Hannah Montana and bowl cuts died when The Beatles left the ‘60s.

The film wants us to know Bieber is more than his haircut (which I’ve finally figured out looks like a giant, angled bang that wraps around his head without stopping). The film focuses on Bieber’s humble background in Ontario, Canada, and that, with the help of sites such as YouTube, Bieber’s natural talent helped him catch the attention of the world.

It’s a lofty argument that sometimes I agree with and sometimes not so much. Bieber has a decent singing voice (which we have heard get deeper over the years; oh, adolescence!). As a kid, he had a natural affinity for music and musical instruments such as drums and guitar.

In a sort of touching, but overwhelmingly corny scene, Bieber stops to talk to a young girl on the street playing violin and he remarks that he used to play on the same steps, and look where he is now. “Follow your dreams — and use YouTube” is the message here.

The scene plays out like it’s set up, until you see the expression in the little girl’s eyes and see that yes, this might just be a genuine moment between Bieber and a fan.

The film spends only about a quarter of the time documenting Bieber’s rise to stardom and how he caught the attention of Usher and record executive Antonio “L.A.” Reid.

A good portion of the film takes place at one of Bieber’s concerts, which can be tiring because as much as the film tries to push “this kid’s got talent” on audiences, Bieber is much less exciting as a performer than he is as just a musician. There’s something a little awkward when Bieber performs — maybe because he’s 16 and still figuring out who he is, or maybe because Bieber doesn’t quite yet own the star power fans have given him.

But like I said, I kind of liked the film. Not because Bieber as an artist is awe-inspiring, or because the film is at all compelling, but because, probably unbeknownst to even the film’s creators themselves, the film gives us insight into the vulnerability, the sweetness and the awkwardness of a kid who, underneath a veneer of confidence, is as unsure as any other teenager, even if he doesn’t lead the life of just any other kid.