'Michael' Is an Incomplete, Inaccurate, but Beautiful Snapshot of One Man's Extraordinary Life

There will never be another Michael Jackson. Great musicians come and go, some become legendary and others even iconic, but Michael Jackson might be one of those few who not only shape music and popular culture but entire conversations about what it means to be human. The new Michael biopic teeters close to being biofic with the stunning complete erasure of Janet and other, lesser-known siblings Randy and Rebbie. According to LaToya Jackson, Janet “politely declined” to be part of the film, which is dysfunctional family doublespeak for, “aw, hell no!” It’s an egregious omission considering Janet’s closeness to her brother and the fact that Janet is the second most popular Jackson. Right away, this should indicate that this account of the legendary performer’s life should be taken with a healthy grain of salt.

Michael is played by newcomer Jaafar Jackson, his nephew and the son of Germaine. It’s a spectacular, almost unsettling performance that channels MJ’s pure spirit and unrivaled energy. Jaafar was 12 when his uncle died under mysterious circumstances, and considering Germaine and Michael’s tempestuous and sometimes heated relationship, not very likely to have been close to him. Despite this considerable familial distance, Jaafar delivers a convincing performance that honors at the very least the bright and hopeful chapter of the King of Pop’s life.

Director Antoine Fuqua and writer John Logan spend most of the film focusing on Michael’s rise to fame, a heavily curated account of a boy’s rise to stardom from humble beginnings in Gary, Indiana. Coleman Domingo is stellar as the Jackson family patriarch, Joseph “Joe” Jackson, who is credited with leveraging his children’s talents to change his family’s fortune. Joe Jackson was a stern manager and mentor, never hesitating to physically punish his children for falling out of line or slipping up in practice. The film sanitizes the elder Jackson’s abuses, which boomer and Gen X audiences will simply chalk up to tough love and par for the course, good, old-fashioned whipping. But Joe, who insisted his children call him Joseph, was also accused of sexually abusing his daughters Rebbie and LaToya in the latter’s 1991 memoir. He was also verbally abusive, teasing Michael relentlessly about his ‘big nose,’ which likely gave rise to Michael’s insecurity and self-loathing that resulted in an obsession with plastic surgery.

None of this is in Michael. The film glosses over Joe Jackson’s cruelty and instead shifts the focus to his greed, painting him as an unsympathetic man simply concerned with the bottom line. It’s a paper-thin portrayal without nuance that passes muster only because of Domingo’s tremendous talent. Michael is shown sneaking out for a nose job, and there’s a passing reference to his vitiligo, but there’s almost nothing about his transformation into a different, unrecognizable person entirely. Fuqua and Logan pick high points in Michael Jackson’s life that segue into musical scenes, such as the filming of "Beat It" or "Thriller." It’s a bit of a cheat code because it’s impossible not to enjoy a film that showcases and celebrates Jackson’s singular talent, and when the songs blare through the cinema sound system, audiences will fall under a spell. 

The story also stops short of the legendary star’s spectacular fall, closing during a concert performance after the release of "Bad." There are no scenes set in Neverland Ranch, only a buildup to his obsession with Peter Pan and a yearning for a lost childhood that helps explain his closeness to animals and genuine love for children. Michael avoids tarnishing the late star’s already damaged reputation by sidestepping the child abuse allegations and extremely suspicious death. As far as biopics go, this is a Hallmark Channel special more than a True Crime documentary, which is probably for the best because Michael Jackson was always larger than life, and any earnest attempt at telling his whole story might be destined to fail. The best anyone can do is feature snapshots of an extraordinary life, and that’s exactly what Michael does. No more, no less.

Michael is beautiful, inspiring, and reminds audiences of musical genius that we can only be thankful to have experienced in our lifetime. But Michael Jackson was always much more than his music, which seemed to be a less salient point. Few public figures have been as fascinating yet as enigmatic by design. Jackson was an intensely private individual who created his own private fantasy land where he could preserve his childhood, a property beyond your lavish celebrity home, a theme park which was home to the star and his many animal friends. Michael seemed like it was afraid to mention Neverland, likely in an effort to distance itself from the salacious and damaging 2019 film Leaving Neverland. What it does do well, however, is paint a picture of a child who refused to grow up, a real Peter Pan in an entertainment industry that forces children into adulthood against their will.

Michael keeps its focus on the entertaining parts of Michael Jackson’s life, never going deeper than what most casual viewers likely already know. There’s no exploration of his unquenchable dissatisfaction with his appearance or his love for children beyond visiting them in hospitals—demonstrated in multiple scenes—or his few, yet fascinating romantic relationships. Michael Jackson was a far more interesting person than the film ever dared to show, and that’s the biggest tragedy of an otherwise serviceable and hugely entertaining film. Michael works hard to make Michael Jackson a relatable figure by showing his childhood and rise to fame, but the whole point is that Michael Jackson isn’t quite like you, me, or anyone else. More than most celebrities, Michael Jackson displayed an uncommon humanity that was often defined simply as eccentricity or weirdness. But Michael’s nonconformity was very deeply human and often deeply misunderstood, and the film would’ve done well to show how being different is a fundamentally human trait.

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