Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious:
The Making of 'Mary Poppins
"You cannot capture a man's entire life in two hours.
All you can hope is to leave the impression of one."
Mank (2020)
Michael (2026)
Michael represents all that is good and really, really bad about the biopic genre. From the opening scene the genre’s clichés come thick and fast. Preparations before a pivotal concert serve as a springboard to tell the subject’s life in flashback before concluding with a return to the triumphant performance. Yet for all its faults, Michael is a glorious celebration of a uniquely gifted performer. It just totally ignores all of Michael’s faults.
Gary Indiana 1966. Joe Jackson relentlessly drills his five sons into a musical act, repeatedly whipping them into shape with stern words and a belt. Within a few years the 'Jackson 5' are supporting headline acts, leading to them signing with Motown Records. Wary of Michael’s growing independence, Joe hampers his youngest son’s efforts to go solo and cajoles him into joining his brothers on a world tour. Nevertheless, Michael’s talent won’t be denied with the release of ‘Thriller’ confirming his status as the King of Pop.
Amongst the many tropes employed in Michael is the casting of a family member to portray their more famous relative. Thankfully, Jaafar Jackson is ideal in the role, distancing his uncle from the Wacko Jacko persona and making his childlike behaviour seem somewhat endearing. On stage, Jaafar perfectly captures Michael’s dynamic dance moves, though an abundance of concert recreations towards the end of the biopic leaves the lasting impression of having witnessed a really good band.
Not so nimble-footed is the depiction of Michael cruising a hospital’s children’s ward and being swamped by young fans in a toy store. Depicting the entertainer as “king of the kids” while avoiding any mention of child abuse allegations is akin to making a movie about Hitler that praises how he made the trains run on time without depicting where those same trains were headed. A more complete picture may emerge in the rumoured sequel.
as Michael Jackson
as Michael Jackson
as Quincy Jones
as Berry Gordy
Only five of Michael Jackson’s siblings are depicted in the film. Missing are older sister Rebbie, younger brother Randy and most notably Janet, who “kindly declined” being portrayed.
When the Jackson 5 performed at Chicago’s Regal Theater on July 12th 1968, they followed Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, not Gladys Knight and the Pips. Bobby Taylor later introduced the band to Motown creative assistant Suzanne de Passe, who was not waiting in the wings of the theatre that night.
Though ‘Off the Wall’ was Michael Jackson’s first solo record at Epic, it was not his first ever solo record, as suggested by the film. Jackson had previously released four solo studio albums with Motown.
Though biopic takes a break from its constant ‘Peter Pan’ references to include a snippet of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, there is no depiction of Jackson’s role in The Wiz.