Michael (2026)

Longtime readers know I'm a sucker for musician biopics, with few exceptions. I was also as much of a Michael Jackson fan as the next tween in the early '90s. For that reason, I decided to see this in an immersive theater while I could.

The story follows Michael from the formation of the Jackson 5 in 1966 (when he's played by Juliano Valdi) to the start of his first solo tour in 1988 (when he's played by Jaafar Jackson, son of Jermaine). His father, Joseph (Colman Domingo), makes for a demanding manager, prone to emotional and sometimes physical abuse; his mother, Katherine (Nia Long), can do little to counter Joseph. The overarching theme is of Michael wishing to do his own thing, with help from attorney John Branca (Miles Teller) and bodyguard Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones) among others.

Naturally, covering such a period in 127 minutes requires a lot of simplification. I still can't tell the rest of the brothers apart. Some siblings, per their request, aren't even present, most notably Janet.

This is one of those flicks that gets low ratings from pro critics but high ones from general audiences. From what I gather, the main complaint is that Michael never does anything very objectionable, only a little eccentric, as when he buys childish toys. Even his habit of keeping free-range exotic pets, including a CG Bubbles the chimp, without consulting the household family doesn't appear to cause significant trouble.

As usual, I side with the hoi polloi. From a narrative standpoint, it makes sense to limit the focal themes and stop before getting to the seriously problematic chapters. Earlier drafts took a more warts-and-all look, but we fans didn't come here to get depressed all over again.

Did I learn anything? Probably. The IMDb-listed inaccuracies are chiefly anachronisms. I hadn't suspected Michael's appreciation of old-time comedies as well as horrors. I was surprised that MTV used to shy away from music videos (or "short films" as Michael always says) of Black artists. I hadn't even heard about Michael's burn incident.

Is it fun? You bet. Jaafar captures his uncle's voice and moves convincingly. I was bopping in my seat, occasionally to unfamiliar tunes. A bit of period nostalgia kicked in. It didn't matter that the only actor I really knew before was Mike Myers, once again a music exec.

Michael has broken records like its namesake. It might be the best work of director Antoine Fuqua.