Why is “Michael” so inert? Putting aside the aggrandizing mythology and the so-shallow-it’s-flat psychology that also brings down this film for a moment, and I’m left wondering how this biopic of the King of Pop is so damn boring and lifeless? Director Antoine Fuqua, working from a script by John Logan and with approval from the Jackson family/estate, has crafted a limp movie devoid of emotional engagement and visual flourishes. “Michael” is bland, lionizing, and lacks any insight into the life of Michael Jackson—in short, it fails at basically every aspect of being a biopic.
“Michael” begins in 1966 Gary, Indiana with the Jacksons. Patriarch Joe (Colman Domingo) is a demanding father with a vision of showbiz success for his family. He pushes his sons to constantly practice and moves them toward perfection, often while being horribly abusive to them. Katherine (Nia Long) frets and is upset with how Joe conducts his business but is ultimately too cowed by fear (or maybe propriety—the film has no interest in investigating this) to do anything about it. Meanwhile, the clear star of the Jackson 5 is young Michael (Juliano Valdi), who is a very sensitive child with an amazing voice and incredible talent for dance. Eventually time passes, the Jacksons are signed with Motown and are very successful, before a grown Michael (Jaafar Jackson) decides to embark on his own solo career. This causes some tension with Joe, but ultimately it’s all quickly settled and Michael is the biggest superstar in the world. Throughout his rise, Michael is a lonely, awkward, sensitive man who retains his childlike innocence while acquiring exotic pets and never really finding his place in the world, except at the top of the charts.
What happened? The talent involved has turned out impressive work in the past: Antoine Fuqua – “The Equalizer” movies, “Training Day,” “The Magnificent Seven” remake; John Logan – “Rango,” “Spectre,” “Alien: Covenant”; and DP Dion Beebe – “Chicago,” “Edge Of Tomorrow,” Michael Mann’s “Miami Vice” amongst others for all of them. And yet this is a horribly boring enterprise that never looks interesting or feels interesting; it doesn’t engage with the audience and never really interrogates the subject matter to land on anything novel or insightful. And it’s not like this isn’t an intriguing subject complete with opportunities of great drama, humanity, and even audiovisual flourish.
Instead, “Michael” is a frustratingly flaccid film that just serves up the greatest hits of Jackson’s career (until a sudden and unearned ending in 1988, anyways), with audiences being treated to renditions of a third of “ABC,” “Thriller,” “Beat It,” and the like while lazily showing off Michael’s dancing prowess. It’s all surface level stuff and the attempts at deeper investigation result in basic ideas that refuse to wrestle with anything larger, at any point.
And in a critique that sounds like “the food was bad, and such small portions too!”, “Michael” also feels incomplete. It spends multiple sequences building up the fictional Neverland as this fantasy that Michael loves and wishes to recreate…but the movie ends before Michael even breaks ground on his private ranch/amusement park. Similarly, Michael’s lawyer (Miles Teller) is given an inordinate amount of screen time. Is it just because, in real life, he’s an executor of Jackson’s estate? Or is it a remnant of the (alleged) completely shuffled third act that involved Jackson and his various legal troubles? Sure, they’ve already announced a sequel, but the abrupt and nonsensical ending in 1988 feels arbitrary and like all it does is squeeze in one more nostalgic bait musical performance. The performances are okay if unremarkable. Jaafar Jackson does a fine job impersonating his uncle, capturing some of his various mannerisms and energy but none of the charisma; arguably the best acting work is by the prosthetics on Domingo’s face to make him more closely resemble Joe Jackson.
A story ripe for intellectual curiosity and exploration, focused on a significant figure in pop culture history who had various personas on and off the stage, and often delivered memorably singular visuals alongside his musical accomplishments all come together to be completely wasted in “Michael.” It punts on any sort of morality. It nimbly evades any hint of depth. While its recreation of various performances and music videos is on point, it lacks any real powerful imagery or camerawork to make them come alive in a way beyond perfunctory. “Michael” challenges nothing, innovates less, and offers not a whiff of real substance beyond a nostalgic itch that awkwardly glances over anything more profound or difficult. I’m not sure if Michael Jackson deserves a better biopic, but audiences certainly deserve a better film.
1 / 5 Stars
Starring: Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domngo, Nia Long, Juliano Valdi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Larenz Tate, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
