People may be torn about whether or not to see the new movie, MICHAEL, about Michael Jackson’s early years. It’s hard to reconcile what’s been in the news with the music that is so beloved over the years. Our movie reviewer grappled with all of this too after attending the screening of the movie, in theaters and IMAX April 24. See where she landed on it.
I have heard there is a lot of hesitancy towards this movie. People aren’t sure what ground it’s going to cover and what corners of Michael’s world it will shine a light on. If you’re looking for Janet Jackson, she isn’t a part of this story. If you’re expecting a glimmer of Michael’s later years filled with accusations from children and parents and overuse of prescription drugs, you won’t find that either. What you will find is an electric 2-hour concert that spans the first 20 years of Micheal Jackson’s career. This movie brings the soundtrack of our lives to the big screen and delivers a sanitized story of his meteoric rise with no mention of the fall that was his demise.
The movie begins in Gary, Indiana at the Jackson’s modest family home next to a very industrial looking refinery. Joseph Jackson, their iron fist of a father is played by the indomitable Colman Domingo. His relentless drive to turn his sons into the biggest stars in the music industry manifests into full on child abuse and his children missing out on their formative years. They tour and practice nonstop until they are discovered by Motown Records. That’s when the fun really begins in this movie.
As Michael grows, he is played by Jaafar Jackson who is Jermaine Jackson’s son in real life. For much of the movie, he amalgamates and all you will see is Michael Jackson as his dance moves, facial expressions and “singing” are positively uncanny. Guest roles of Quincy Jones (who will always be the coolest guy in the room) and Barry Gordy (who gave Michael his first sense of accomplishment) are memorable. Mike Myers dips in for a nice cameo and Miles Teller plays Michael’s lawyer and manager, John Branca. This man becomes the muscle that Michael needs in his life as he pulls away from the grasp of his father, both personally and professionally.
This movie does at times feel like a PR movement for the estate of Michael Jackson. By narrowing the gaze to these specific 20 years of his life, they sidestep his ultimate fall from grace. At the same time, he was the biggest pop star of all time for many reasons and all of them are on display for the entirety of the movie. It feels like a walk down memory lane for those of us old enough to remember him. I attended with my eleven-year-old daughter and she couldn’t stop dancing and singing the songs as they were played throughout the movie. In fact, most of the theatre were singing along and thoroughly enjoying the various montages of decades of songs.
As we left the theatre, my daughter mentioned how sad it was that he still acted like a child when he was a grown man. She pointed out that he wasn’t allowed to ever be a kid. That’s the overall arc of this film. Michael never grew up. In the eyes of many, he was still that ten-year-old in the Jackson 5. And in his own life, he made his home into a petting zoo with animals that showered him with never ending love. His bedroom and place of solace was bursting at the seams with toys and stuffed animals.
Don’t hesitate to go to the movie. Take someone younger than yourself. Expose them to the wonder and awe that was The King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
-By Jodi McDonough
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