Michael Parent Guide

Joseph Jackson (Colman Domingo) works in a steel mill in Gary, Indiana, but he is determined that his sons won’t follow in his footsteps. No, he’s going to hone their musical talents and ensure that his boys make it to the top of the charts. Luckily Jermaine, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie (played by Jayden Harville, Jaylen Lyndon Hunter, Judah Edwards, and Nathaniel Logan McIntyre) are talented musicians – but it’s young Michael (Juliano Valdi) who really shines. The boy has a distinctive voice, perfect pitch, and an aptitude for fancy footwork that soon propels the Jackson Five to national acclaim.

Success brings rewards – the family trade Indiana for California and purchase a large home, which is soon filled with Michael’s fantastical menagerie. Joseph continues to manage his sons’ careers but Michael (now played by Jaafar Jackson) is increasingly restless. Determined to declare independence from his domineering father and forge a solo career, Michael will need to fight for the future he wants…

Musical biopics are a popular genre with stories of talented individuals who must battle ruthless competition, a cutthroat industry, and their own personal demons to succeed. Michael breaks the mold, and not in a good way. Less a biography than a hagiography, this movie depicts a Michael Jackson free from controversy (drug dependency and child sex abuse allegations are completely absent from the tale) and sweetly dedicated to making the world a better place. While in hospital recovering from burns incurred while filming a Pepsi ad, Michael selflessly says “I have to shine my light; spread love and joy; heal. That’s my destiny.” He sounds like a saintly orphan having a death scene in a Victorian novel; not a real person with a messy life. 

To be fair, this film has some upsides. The musical segments are toe-tapping, crisp, and glossy and will be enjoyed by fans of the King of Pop. Jaafar Jackson, who is Jermaine’s son and bears an uncanny resemblance to his uncle, gives us a Michael Jackson who is gentle, naïve, prodigiously talented, and driven to help others. His portrayal often feels a bit flat, but, to be honest, the hollow script doesn’t give him much to work with. The dominant figure in the film, as in Michael’s life, is his father. Colman Domingo is an actor of great power and depth and he brings an iron will, cruelty, and a total lack of empathy to the screen as he fills the story with a sense of dread. 

Surprisingly for a celebrity biopic, Michael is relatively low on negative content. Obviously, eliminating the pedophilia allegations (which were removed from the film due to clauses in victim settlement agreements) cleans up the story, and there is minimal profanity and infrequent smoking and drinking. The most disturbing part of the film for most viewers will be the scenes of Joseph beating Michael with a belt or threatening further abuse. I’ve never been a Michael Jackson fan but those scenes contextualize some of his struggles later in life.

Michael is such a strange film, so one-dimensional, so relentlessly positive about its subject, that I became curious about who made it and why. When I started digging into the production details, it all became clear. One of the film’s producers is John Branca (Michael’s lawyer who is played by Miles Teller in the film) and executive producers include six of Michael’s siblings. This is not an unbiased account of a celebrity’s life; it’s a project dedicated to reviving interest in a singer and his back catalogue. To make matters worse, Michael teases a sequel which I will have to sit through – unless audiences stay home in droves and make the sequel financially unfeasible. I live in hope. 

About author

Kirsten Hawkes

Kirsten Hawkes has a BA in Political Science and English and has worked in international development and medical education and marketing. Kirsten enjoys reading, watching movies, and debating politics with her husband and sometimes unwilling children.