Michael

May 1– 7

Friday May 1 – 3:30 & 7:00 pm
Saturday May 2 – 7:00 pm
Sunday May 3 – 1:30 & 7:00 pm
Monday May 4 – 7:00 pm
Tuesday May 5 – 7:00 pm
Wednesday May 6 – 3:30 pm
Thursday May 7 – 130 & 7:00 pm

Rated PG – 2hr 5min
Biography / Drama / Music

Jaafar Jackson dazzles as his king of pop uncle in a feel-good biopic MJ fans will eat up. The most successful musical biopics allow their stars to interpret the song styles of the artists they are playing. Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner’s Daughter, Jeremy Allen White in Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, Taron Egerton in Rocketman all did their own singing, even with the risk of not measuring up to the icons they played who were all still alive when their films came out. As Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami Malek merged his own voice with Mercury’s and a sound-alike, so it doesn’t always have to be pure to succeed. Austin Butler did most of his own singing in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis — even if the real Presley was mixed in here and there.

For the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael, however, Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson was tapped to take on the role with no real previous acting, dancing or musical experience so to speak, and the producers were not taking any chances on this one. The iconic songs you hear from “Billie Jean” to “Beat It” to “Thriller” to “Ben” are all vintage MJ, gloriously remastered and superbly lip-synched by Jaafar and Juliano Valdi, who plays the younger Michael. Jaafar’s casting might have seemed a bit too all in the family, but the fact that he doesn’t do his own singing didn’t bother me, because this guy channels Uncle Michael in uncanny ways and simply sells this performance with all the right dance moves and sharp dramatic talent to make us believe Michael Jackson is once again with us.

Storywise, we see patriarch Joe Jackson (a superb Colman Domingo) discovering the musical talents of his large family, especially the five boys who become the Jackson 5, fronted by 9-year-old phenomenon and very adorable lead singer Michael. They make hit records, tour, do Ed Sullivan’s show and hit paydirt with dad as their demanding but determined manager, with mother Katherine (Nia Long) keeping silent in the background even when Joe whips Michael into submission with bullying tactics that make you cringe now. It is no wonder that when he was old enough Michael knew he had to break away.

For all its attributes, Michael doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know and falls short of giving any new insights into what made him who he was. Still, the musical dance sequences when they occur are superbly choreographed by Rich and Tone Talauega, who have copied every famous step, and this is where Jaafar Jackson just knocks it out of the park. You would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between him and the real deal, and I was impressed how he slipped on that glove and just stepped into those dancing shoes with genuine authority and style. You believe this kid, and that is key.