Michael review: Please stop ‘cause I’ve had enough

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A star rating of 2 out of 5.

The film opens with a quick sequence showing a young Michael Jackson captivated by a Peter Pan storybook. Shortly after, we see him excitedly watching James Brown perform, a stark contrast with Brown’s much more energetic and suggestive dancing.

The film quickly establishes the contrast between the singer as a boy and as a man, but it does so very obviously. It’s a movie that lacks subtlety, favoring a heavy-handed approach.

The film’s path to release wasn’t easy. Originally, the script delved deeply into scandals and controversies from the 1990s onward, but about a third of that material was cut. The filmmakers ultimately opted for a safer, more conventional approach, relying on familiar biopic storytelling techniques.

Michael Jackson rose to fame as a child star with his brothers in the Jackson Five, but their demanding father, Joe (played by Colman Domingo), pushed them relentlessly. Michael later achieved solo success, sharing his unique perspectives with the world. The film culminates with the joyful 1984 Victory tour reunion, before hinting at the personal struggles that would mark the rest of his life.

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While the filmmakers have suggested a follow-up film might cover the sexual abuse allegations and legal battles, its omission leaves the current movie feeling incomplete and unsatisfying. One social media user cleverly compared it to creating a movie about O.J. Simpson that stops just as he’s about to read the script for a comedy.

The story’s few dramatic moments come from the arguments between Michael and his father, Jackson. Despite Domingo being a talented actor, the script limits him to playing a familiar role – the difficult celebrity father – a character we’ve seen many times before in films like Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (with Stephen Graham) and Respect (with Forest Whitaker as Aretha Franklin’s father).

The film prioritizes showcasing Michael Jackson’s career success, at the expense of exploring deeper relationships. Young Michael, charmingly played by Juliano Krue Valdi, transitions into the adult version portrayed by Jaafar Jackson, Jermaine Jackson’s son, though this transition feels somewhat abrupt.

It’s easy to see Jaafar’s family traits, but sometimes his gestures and overall presence strongly remind you of Princess Diana – especially the way she’d tilt her head and look with wide, innocent eyes. This resemblance is particularly noticeable when he’s presented as a kind of spiritual healer.

I just saw this movie where this guy, Michael, is totally captivated by news footage of riots happening in American cities. It’s bizarre, but he decides the way to stop all the gang violence is… interpretive dance! Seriously. Then, the film shows him going to a children’s hospital and seemingly brightening the lives of kids who’ve suffered burns. Honestly, the movie wants you to believe this Michael guy is some kind of enlightened guru, but it feels… a little much, you know?

Domingo, as the imposing character Joe Jackson, actually has a substantial role, unlike the rest of the family. Katherine Jackson (played by Nia Long) is portrayed as overly simple and lacks depth, and the brothers Jermaine, Jackie, Marlon, and Tito are practically indistinguishable from each other, with very little dialogue. It’s also strange that the movie seems to ignore the existence of Janet Jackson.

People outside the Jackson family are shown briefly and don’t have much screen time. For example, Suzanne de Passe, the Motown executive who first recognized Michael’s talent, praises his voice after only a few lines of a song, but quickly leaves. Similarly, Berry Gordy, the head of Motown, gives Michael some early recording advice, but the film doesn’t mention the later, difficult split between them when Michael moved to Epic Records and created his biggest albums, like Off The Wall and Thriller.

Walter Yetnikoff, the powerful head of CBS Records (played with a humorous cameo by Mike Myers), is portrayed as a stereotypical Jewish businessman who angrily calls MTV. He threatens to withhold access to other artists if they don’t play Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” video. Interestingly, the scene highlights the film’s timeline issues, as he references an artist who wouldn’t even join his label for over a year.

The story continues to wander, glossing over important events and people to keep the focus on Michael, either through elaborate musical numbers or overly sentimental statements about improving the world.

At just over two hours, the film is shorter than many modern movies, but it still feels long. The story becomes repetitive and predictable, and the main character’s dialogue drifts into overly dramatic, almost nonsensical pronouncements. It reaches a point where you might find yourself wishing, like in one of the artist’s famous songs, for it all to just stop.

Authors

Terry Staunton

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2026-04-21 16:38