Speak Now Storyteller

Summary: The story of the famous musician Michael Jackson, known as the King of Pop.

Apparently, this is a “Part 1” from what I’ve heard. I watched Jaafar talking about it in an interview and I personally don’t like the idea of there being a sequel, but it seems like it’s going to happen. In my opinion, his story needs to only be one movie or a miniseries because a sequel would be overall depressing considering where this movie ends. Regardless of what you believe he did or didn’t do, it’s part of his life and I don’t particularly need to see it. If it does happen, his family does not need to be the ones doing it. I’m sure people already go into this movie with “they have an agenda” mindset which sure, they want to celebrate their brother/dad/son/uncle. But yeah… I have a lot of feelings about a sequel.

But with that said, I love Michael Jackson. I have been a fan all my life. There was a point in my life where I was lowkey obsessed though the only paraphernalia I own is a BAD T-shirt. I should get a poster or something, crazy how I never got one. So, I went into this movie with an open mind but also hoping I would have a good time.

There might be mild spoilers but that’s just because… it’s a biopic and a lot of this is public knowledge.

Pros:

Cast and Characters.

• Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson. When we meet teenage Michael, he’s so hopeful and happy that he can work on his first solo album but he’s nervous to tell his father. We get to watch 3 eras of Michael’s life as a teenager and young adult. Michael is a hard worker and a perfectionist when it comes to his craft. He asks questions, makes suggestions and tries to fight for his freedom to explore what he can do. We see the unease and fear when interacting with Joseph, his tenderness with Katherine and his loneliness overall. He loves animals and searches for connections with them. He cares for other people, shown by him visiting children in hospitals and donating to the Burn unit. Jaafar is fantastic in this debut role. When I saw he was cast, I was like “okay sure, he’s definitely a Jackson by appearance but that means nothing to me for acting ability. I hope it’s not just because he’s Jermaine’s son”. I found clips of him talking/singing and I said “Okay, I can actually hear a bit of Michael in his voice… which is that Jackson voice”. The movie stills were a little uncanny, but when that teaser came out (I really wish I did a trailer reaction) I gasped. The amounts of time I gasped at him in this movie… it was the combination of Jaafar clearly understanding Michael and the costume and makeup working together to help with this portrayal. It was amazing and there were a few times when I teared up or almost burst into tears because it looked like Michael was literally on the screen. He’s amazing. As a fan and audience member, he did his due diligence on getting Michael’s mannerisms, cadence, that VOICE, and the way he walked down. He put a lot of care into the role, and it paid off. There are a few scenes where I focused on his eyes because the eyes are the windows to the soul and Jaafar was able to do it every time. This is his FIRST experience acting. Whenever he interacted with Joseph, you could see how afraid/nervous he was through facial expressions and small physical reactions. But also, when that fire does show up, it didn’t feel forced. The singing and dancing are top notch, and you can see how hard Jaafar worked. There were a few times where I went “well, no one can truly move like Michael” but he did the damn thing. I cannot take anything away from him in this role. JAAFAR did what he was supposed to do. I really hope they don’t attempt to catapult him into being the next “Jackson Singer” but Jaafar Jackson the actor… who may put out an album down the line and do movie scores, since he said he always had interest movie scores. Get into a romcom immediately Jaafar. I saw he said this is only the beginning for him in acting and he wants to do a thriller, so those things interest me. I want to see more of him.
  • Juliano Valdi as young Michael. As 10-year-old Michael, we see the intentions to become the Jackson 5 and then being the Jackson 5. This Michael is excitable but also in a constant state of fear/intimidation because of Joseph’s intensity. We see him get into trouble multiple times, which Michael always said he would get into trouble the most and probably got the worst whoopings. But he’s working hard. Juliano is so charming and that’s tenfold seeing him in these interviews. I’m not gonna lie when we first saw him, I silently went “oh no” because I was worried, he wasn’t going to be very good. Kid actors can be a hit or miss. But he proved me wrong. My friend texted me, “You know what in a few years make him Miles Morales” and I can get behind that lol.
• Colman Domingo as Joseph Jackson. He’s Michael’s father and big yikes lol. Joseph is intense and he wants his boys to skyrocket into stardom. There is an underlying theme of “family and loyalty” with him which in some circles can be positive, but Joe makes it negative because he’s abusive, a narcissist and manipulative. He works the boys hard; he mostly ignores Katherine’s comments but sometimes they do placate him. He gets angry when he doesn’t get his way and he constantly throws “family” around even though he’s the one pushing people away with his controlling nature. Colman Domingo is great, and I knew he was going to be when he was cast. First, those colored contacts were a crazy pull and made it worse whenever he showed up on screen. He was scary and intimidating and there were times where they played up his interactions with Michael almost like a horror movie which is legit.
• Nia Long as Katherine Jackson. She’s Michael’s mother and she’s soft-spoken and gentle. She loves her family and has to watch Joseph be hard on the boys but she’s not innocent since she did let it happen without intervening more. Throw some grits on him girl! But that wasn’t really her style. We see her interact with Michael the most, to show their tender relationship and how they’d watch tv shows together. She was a huge encouraging force in his life. It’s very sweet. I thought Nia Long was good casting and I thought she did well.

Supporting Cast. There are a lot of people who pop up in the movie, but I won’t touch on all of them.

• KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Bill Bray. He’s Michael’s bodyguard and ultimately a father figure. They have a great relationship. He protects him and drives him, but he also offers advice and Michael leans on him when needed. I really enjoyed their dynamic. I thought Keilyn Jones did great.
• Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones. Quincy Jones is a co-producer of Michael’s three solo albums “Off the Wall”, “Thriller” and “Bad”. While the movie doesn’t show this point in MJ’s life, they officially meet during The Wiz. Quincy believes in Michael’s talent and supports his musical genius and amplifies it but also helps hone it. What a crazy pull to see Kendrick Sampson as Quincy. Great casting. He’s not around a ton but he’s good when he is.
• Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy. Berry Gordy was a music producer and president of Motown. He’s around when The Jackson 5 is recording “I Want You Back” and he’s immediately drawn to young Michael’s talent and spark. He gives him notes and trusts that the kid can adjust on his own. I also liked that he was played as if he was challenging Joe a few times. Another crazy pull with Larenz Tate in the role. He was great as well.

Music/Choreography. Rich & Tone Talauega are the lead choreographers for the film, and they’ve worked with Michael so that helps a ton. I just know they had Jaafar and Juliano working hard to get Michael’s signature movements down. I think Jaafar worked hard to be as technical as possible. Juliano clearly had fun and worked hard to nail young Michael’s energy. They’re both very good. As for the music, there was a large team, but the music used was from Michael’s discography along with the Jackson 5’s. They blended Michael’s vocals with Juliano and Jaafar’s when singing. I think you can tell though when Jaafar’s voice is a bit louder because his voice is just a tad deeper. It was seamless. You do get to hear the boys when there are certain ad libs. It’s all handled very well.

Costumes/Makeup. Donna Beltran is the main costume designer, and I think she does a good job at recreating Michael’s iconic looks. The Grammy’s beaded jacket was impressive even though we only saw it for a short time. The Beat It outfit, Thriller, Bad (stage performance), Billie Jeanat Motown, were all recreated so well. The makeup was crazy. Jaafar looks like a Jackson (being that he is one) but putting the looks on him to be Michael, coupled with his voice, I’m telling you it sent me for a spin. I think his first nose was off but that’s because Jaafar’s face seems to be similar to Michael’s Thriller era look because he looks great during this time frame. But they do great with each of his looks. Wanna to give a huge shout out to those Victory Tour striped pants. IYKYK.

Michael’s Influences. Something I think the film does well is show how Michael watched people and shows/movies that inspired his moves or his short film music videos. We see him as a kid watching tv and mimicking Lil Richard’s dance moves, even getting Marlon in on the action. When he’s older, he gets his inspiration from scary movies he enjoys, he likes Charlie Chaplin, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and The Three Stooges because of how they move and use their bodies. We see him watching the news that helps inspire aspects of music videos. Jaafar said he got to experience some of Michael’s inner thoughts by gaining access to things he wrote down, journals etc. Michael was a manifester and he often wrote notes to himself, so we see that happen a lot as well, ways to keep him moving forward, especially when dealing with Joseph. I loved they included things that inspired him because while he was an innovator and a genius, he was still influenced by the world around him.

Michael’s Connections/Little Moments. I liked the moments where Michael is connecting with his animals by showing him talking to them and calling them his friends. This is the same with how he considered his fans and how he was always thinking how he looked for them. The movie also worked to highlight his loneliness and how he couldn’t properly stand up to Joseph. I really liked Joseph telling young Michael to keep his eyes on him by young Michael not being able to maintain eye contact. He would flick his eyes then turn away. This became a through line for their relationship. When he’s older, it’s the same. But there is a moment where he overcomes this and it was such a nice moment to close out that character arc.

It’s Fun/Never Dull. I saw some critics say the movie is dull and I think that’s insane. While I agree there’s a lot lacking with writing/character stuff, the movie is absolutely not dull. It’s such a fun watch, especially watching with friends who love the music as well. I don’t want/need audience members to forget theater etiquette and start scream singing and dancing, distracting from the film, but getting excited to see “the making” of a lot of iconic videos on the big screen is exciting. Watching Jaafar Jackson go through the movie is truly a joy to watch. Every time Colman appeared there were “ah! jump scare” happening around us. That’s hilarious. The movie is fun if nothing else. 

Cons:

Editing. This was something I immediately said I could see being criticized. The editing isn’t necessarily bad but it’s jarring, and it doesn’t completely help how the story is told. First, there are soooo many close ups that I said a few times “please back up oh my god”. There’s too much jumping around where we’re only focusing on his greatest hits and while that’s not a bad thing, it leaves a lot left wanting in a biopic about Michael Jackson. There’s not enough time in places to really focus on emotional moments or let things settle before we’re moving on to the next important thing. This could be a result of whatever was cut but if there IS a second film, I hope they approach the editing in a more serious way. It can’t be stylized like this one is.

Character Depth. It’s crazy to say “character depth” in a biopic but I do think this is something missing a bit in the movie. Specifically for Michael, I think we have good moments with him, showing his loneliness and showing him searching for meaning in his work and his life but at the same time, we don’t get to see the moments where he actually gets to be free. The Wiz being cut from this movie is a big deal because that’s a time in Michael’s life where he got to be on his own, discover Disco at Studio 54, hung out with Stephanie Mills, got to experience life without his family and Joseph at his neck at only 18/19 years old. Whatever issue Diana Ross had, all of this was cut due to her involvement in Michael’s life at this time and that cuts a huge chunk. As mentioned before, The Wiz is where he met Quincy Jones. His being at Studio 54 is what inspired him to want to make “Off the Wall”. I liked that they showed influences in other places but there are HUGE influences that are just gone. I mean they show him reading The Wizard of Oz as a kid, which could’ve been a huge full circle moment. Michael is intelligent, he’s not a child stuck in a man’s body. Instead, he’s an abuse victim with deep trauma that I’m sure was never addressed properly and unfortunately the movie doesn’t go into this at all, outside of a few moments but it’s never really about Michael the person but Michael the performer. Everything he’s doing is for the music, which sure, but I can see that Michael the person is afraid of his father… what does that mean for him as an adult still living at home and being the sole provider for the family? I think this would’ve been interesting to explore. Plus, Michael was so funny as a person, and we don’t get a lot of those moments. It’s missing the chance to humanize him instead of just showing him as the icon. A biopic is MEANT to humanize, and I think the movie doesn’t fully give that opportunity. This is why the editing is a struggle because those moments where we could’vesat… we didn’t because we moved to the next thing.

The Family Dynamic. While Rebbie, Randy and Janet aren’t in the movie which is fine, the other brothers and LaToya are, and the movie doesn’t do a great job in including them. Sure, it’s not about them exactly but they’re his family and they’re involved with Michael’s story for a long time. He had strong relationships with his siblings, but the movie barely shows that. We have moments here and there, but it wasn’t enough. I know they probably wanted to harp on him being lonely, but that’s WHY he’s lonely. He has great relationships with his brothers, but Jackie has a family, Jermaine was estranged for a while and whatever Marlon and Tito were doing… but they weren’t doing it with Michael. Plus, besides Marlon and LaToya no one is explicitly named. I think when they’re adults, well over an hour into the movie, I think there’s some indication who is who but there’s never a moment where they’re like “this is Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael”. When Joe has them reaching their arms out and he says, “there’s no more so and so”, that could’ve been a moment to show each brother when he says their name. It’s egregious when everyone has two actors. I was able to tell them apart due to me being familiar with the dynamics of the Jackson 5 but still! Jackie, being the oldest brother, was protective, but we never saw him interact with Michael… ever. Jermaine and Michael were close and when Jermaine stayed with Motown when the rest left for Epic Records was hard on Michael. It’s just a line about Jermaine choosing his side but we don’t even get to know how they felt about it. Michael was a jokester, he was funny and clever, but we don’t see much of that besides a few moments. This was such a missed opportunity. Were the brothers mad when he announced what he did at the Victory tour? It cut after the tour to his “Bad” performance, so we didn’t get to see any fallout from anyone besides Joseph and even then, that was quick.

Glosses Over Things/Sanitized. This can kind of go with the character depth point, but I wasn’t sure what to expect but I knew the movie was covering about four eras of his life. But the nose job and vitiligo situations are glossed over after the first time they’re mentioned. We do see him applying makeup or looking at his hands, but I think it would’ve been nice to have him say something about it, maybe to Katherine while they’re watching tv. Or even to the animals since they show him talking to animals since he doesn’t actively have friends that we see. If you catch them, you can clearly see the vitiligo on his body in various scenes, which is great to have included but no one ever brings it up. After the Pepsi commercial, he makes a comment about not wanting to take pain meds, but we never see him in pain while doing anything or taking medicine. We weren’t going to get any of the allegations at this point but any of the other “weird” stuff said about him, wasn’t brought up at all. With the movie being backed by his family, of course I’m sure they just wanted to highlight his triumphs, which is what I think Paris Jackson gave notes about, but doing that I think causes the movie to lack some of that extra meat that’s needed in a biopic. It lacks that extra realism, which is annoying since we get that some with Michael’s interactions with Joseph and how that’s so well acted between Jaafar and Colman. This is why after seeing it, I think it needed to be a mini-series to be able to focus on these harder topics but also his family shouldn’t have been the main ones leading the charge for the film.

Overall, I know my cons are heavy cons but that doesn’t stop that I thought the movie was good and I had a really good time. I love Michael Jackson’s music, it’s transcendent in so many ways and I think the movie shows that. The acting is great across the board. Colman Domingo is rightfully scary as Joseph Jackson and Juliano Krue Valdi as young Michael steals the show with his charm and energy, but Jaafar Jackson is the heart of the film. It’s clear he worked so hard to embody this person who meant a lot to so many people and who had incredible work ethic, musical genius but also a deep center that is shown mostly through his acting. Everything surrounding Jaafar’s ability to perform is so good, the costuming, hair and makeup, the music and choreography are all so impressive that there were times where I was mesmerized that I wasn’t watching an actual Michael Jackson performance. It honestly feels like Michael is being channeled through Jaafar. The acting is good across the board really. The movie is fun and keeps you constantly entertained whether it’s the performances or quick emotional moments. I appreciated how the movie allowed us to see Michael’s influences and little moments that work for who work either and who he is as a person. On the other hand, I think the editing doesn’t help with the storytelling, I think it’s detrimental in a lot of ways. I also wish we got to sit with Michael’s emotional state and character more. We moved on too fast from quieter moments to get to the performances or musical connections. The family dynamic is lacking when it comes to Michael and his siblings and while I didn’t give this it’s point, I would’ve liked to have seen Michael interacting with his collaborators more, such as Michael Peters who worked with Michael on a lot of his earlier videos. It also sanitizes things that I think could’ve been grittier. Yes, Joe is portrayed as a villain, but I think the movie is lowkey nice to him and I think they should’ve allowed him to be worse than they portrayed. But it’s fine. In the end, the movie is a great time, and I can’t wait to watch it so many more times. I think Michael would be proud to watch Juliano and Jaafar capture his essence. Great experience. 

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars.

What is your favorite Michael Jackson song? Music video? (Billie Jean – song, video… I’m unsure… I have to reevaluate lol)

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Thanks for reading!