Is there a more exhausted biopic trope than that of a singer or some sort of musical prodigy? It feels as if we get several each year, and outside of What's Love Got To Do With it?, Ray and Rocketman (to name a few that instantly come to mind), they are typical standard fare that highlight the highs, without focusing much on the person's lows. But perhaps no biopic in recent memory succumbs to glorifying its protagonist as Antoine Fuqua's Michael.
Other than focusing on young Michael Jackson's struggles to stand up to his overbearing father, Joe (Colman Domingo), the movie is basically a glorification of King of Pop's love for animals, his infatuation to 'perfect' his face via numerous plastic surgeries, and his incredible singing and dancing talent. The movie fails to mention Jackson's strange infatuation with spending an unusually long periods of time with underage boys; there's not a whisper of either of his heavily publicized 1993 nor the 2005 trials. All in all, the lead actor, Jaafar Jackson, is perfect as can be in the lead role. He captures not only Michael's (his real-life uncle) voice, but the dancing prowess as well.
If you're a fan of Michael Jackson's music, you will smile through scenes where so many legendary songs were conceived and recorded. But other than that, Michael is not unlike 2026's most redundant documentary, Melania. It exists merely to tell us what we already know, without attempting to be daring in the least.
☆☆
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