Michael!

 It's a phenomenon. Who would have thought that a biopic of the biggest pop artist perhaps of all time would be a hit? Well, if you are a thinking person anybody would. 

You want a biopic warts and all? This isn't for you. This movie is the story of an abusive father, a codependent mother, and 5 sons (and LaToya no Janet) who dear old Dad pressures into becoming a big musical act. He works them like slaves, beats on them (the scene of him beating young Michael with a belt is kind of disturbing) but it worked. The Jackson 5 took the world by storm. Young Michael became the face of the group, and it was inevitable he would become a solo artist. Led by a manager played by Miles Teller, Michael fires Dad, works on his first solo album, obsesses over lyrics and album song placement and slays the world. But Michael is a disturbed man. Haunted by the abuse, he becomes a friendless man child with a monkey, a snake, a giraffe and a Driving Miss Daisy bodyguard who could be counted as his only friend. It's kind of a tragedy even before the actual tragedy occurred.

Is Michael a great movie? No. Is it a good movie? Absolutely. The music is addicting, the concert footage seems real, and the story is never ever boring. Michael is played by Jaffar Jackson, Michael's actual nephew (Jermaine's kid) and if you didn't know better, you'd swear it was actually Michael Jackson. He looks like him, he sounds like him and he sings like him. He's fantastic. He could tour right now as Michael Jackson and you wouldn't know any better. He's that good.

Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson is his usual solid self. Played with a sense of cruelty and tremendous pride, Domingo nails Joe. He both wants his sons to be successful AND he wants to dominate them forever. Nia Long is Katherine Jackson who plays her as the silent wife who witnesses the abuse until she wakes up and says no more.

You want a child molester movie, this aint for you. You want a solid story with a bit of bad but a whole lot of good this is for you.

It surprised me. Go see it in a theater for the full effect of the music. We saw it in Imax. Man was it loud. Bring your ear buds.