NFL
By: Matt Overton
Michael has been a whirlwind of discourse since its inception, and it was never going to be any other way. With the Estate of Michael Jackson heavily involved in the production, there wasn’t a chance in hell that this would be anything other than the most sanitary—indeed whitewashed—biopic about an extremely controversial icon. Michael Jackson was undeniably one of the biggest to ever do it. His effect on global culture remains significant. Hiring Antoine Fuqua appears to be a good move. That is, until one realizes just how sanitized this story would be by the Estate. Hell, Michael’s lawyers, John Branca and John McClain, are Producers here.
I totally understand the divisive reception of Michael. The film opens on a young Michael, right before he and his four brothers debuted as The Jackson 5. Newcomer Juliano Krue Valdi fully embodies young Michael, delivering incredibly talented performances. This kid goes toe to toe with Colman Domingo, who is equally terrific and simultaneously terrifying as the patriarch, Joseph Jackson. Joe runs a strict program in his household, including but not limited to possible abuse of the physical and mental varieties. Joe’s way of life includes winners and losers, and he would do everything that he saw fit to ensure his children were winners.
Being immediately floored by young Valdi’s acting, I was quite enamored with the depiction of Michael’s childhood. Fuqua is a storied director spanning a long career with his own winners and losers. As interested as I was to learn about Michael’s upbringing, the film is immediately clear about its intentions. Michael is the most generic, slow pitch down the middle, that just so happens to be scored by some of the greatest music ever created. I can’t deny that what amounts to Fuqua montaging 127 minutes of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits is pretty damn electrifying. But if you understand how this film came to be and what it certainly was not going to do, then Michael can be an enjoyable time.
I saw someone say that Michael is for the “two movies a year crowd,” and that might have some truth to it. This has the potential to absolutely explode. I’m not usually the guy who goes to noon showings on the weekend, but the theater was bursting at the seams. The energy was palpable. People were laughing loudly and reacting audibly throughout the drama. Two older women sitting in front of me looked like they were dressed for church. One of them took a picture of her Bavarian pretzel—flash on. The whole thing actually put a smile on my face. I was surrounded by a multitude of enthusiastic moviegoers who thoroughly enjoyed watching Michael’s rise to stardom while listening to some great music.
Isn’t that what all of this is about anyway? If this propagandized biopic is to be believed, Michael simply wanted to use his gift to bring people together. And sitting in a packed IMAX theater on a dreary Saturday afternoon, I really felt that. Ironically, the filmmakers end the film by setting up a sequel. In that sequel, the Estate will depict the latter part of his life. Surely that one is going to address everything.
Some are capable of separating the art from the artist. If that is the case, Michael will work on the most surface level as the sanitized piece of propaganda it is. That is, that damn pop music is catchy as hell. My Michael Jackson phase wasn’t that significant, but maybe I underestimated its effects on me. There were multiple times during the screening when a song came on, and I got deeply emotional. The music cannot be underestimated here, regardless of your opinion on the man himself.
