Where to start with Michael?
It is important to understand going in that if you are looking for a “gotcha” kind of film, this is not that. This covers his life from the beginnings of The Jackson 5 in Gary, Indiana and ends with the “Bad” tour in the late ‘80s. Now that being said, that does not mean that there will not be another volume coming (there is a title card before the end credits that reads “His Story Continues,” which would insinuate that), but I also don’t think that will go as deep as some would want. But enough about that; let’s get back to what THIS film does.
Jermaine Jackson’s son Jaafar plays Michael here starting as he is beginning to think about a solo career (Juliano Valdi plays him in the pre-teen years, and does so incredibly). With his overbearing father (Coleman Domingo) and nurturing mother (Nia Long) in his life, Michael finds his path through triumph and heartbreak on his way to the best selling album in the history of ever in the ‘80s version in “Thriller” of what Mike Myers (who also is in this) said in Wayne’s World: “ I think if you lived in the suburbs, you were ISSUED it!”.
On the upside, Jaafar is nothing short of BRILLIANT here. From the strong genes his family has to his mastery of Michael’s diction, voice, and cadence, he encompasses his uncle on a level that I don’t think could have possibly come from Central Casting. Honestly, director Antoine Fuqua’s decision to use him is a bit of genius in the fact that while there HAS been pressure on Jaafar to pull this off, the pressure to do so from someone outside of the family would be that much more. Make no mistake, though (and I cannot say this enough): this is NOT nepotism at all. His performance is THAT good.
The downside (if you want to call it that) is that Jaafar’s performance is almost TOO good. When you share a screen with heavy hitters like Coleman, Long, Larenz Tate (who plays Berry Gordy), Miles Teller, Myers, and KeiLyn Durrel Jones and can outshine THEM to the point where it is harder for me to see the characters through the actors, that is saying something. That is also not to say that they are slouching here either because this entire cast is on their A-plus-plus-plus game here knowing the gravity of the roles they are playing.
There is also one other issue that I have, and although I can guess as to why this is what it is does not make it any easier for me to look past. While we do have LaToya here (played by Jessica Sula from Scream: The TV Series), there is NO mention or even a reference to Janet Jackson. Leaving out Rebbie (while still an error; remember that she had a hit too with “Centipede”) I could understand when comparing her story’s impact to the family’s, not even a passing mention of the sister that was Michael’s biggest sibling rivalry (much less the inspiration for one of her early HUGE hits and what could be seen as the inspiration for him to break away from his father like she did) seems like a miscarriage of justice to the overall narrative. I could go on all day on this subject, but even a poster on a wall somewhere of “Control” or even “Rhythm Nation 1814” during the final sequence would at least not make me growl. Again, I am sure there are legal reasons here, but give the audience SOMETHING.
In looking through the end credits (as I am prone to do in general), all of the music is credited to be performed by the original artists, which also is a wise choice. In some cases, an actor can truly envelop the vocals of a performer when portraying them, but this would have been an exercise in futility by just about anyone. Choosing to focus Jackson and the cast on the performances more than the singing makes the entire production that much more engaging and awe-inducing.
Overall, Michael is another home run for Fuqua. Regardless of what you may think of the man as a human, his contributions as an artist cannot be denied, and this film is a celebration of those contributions and a life lived in struggle. While this is not the complete story, I am intrigued by what the rest of it will look like or even told.