![\"Questlove](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/P102ZN9H.jpg?w=237&h=147&crop=1\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"HOLLYWOOD,](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2272304453.jpg?w=300\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\tNot wanting to give away too much more \u2014 viewers need experience this for themselves \u2014 here are five takeaways from Michael<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tFor the younger generations of fans who weren\u2019t around to experience Michael\u2019s zeitgeist in real life, Jaafar provides the next best thing to having been there. Between the physical and voice similarities to his uncle plus the younger Jackson\u2019s stunning recreations of MJ\u2019s lithe dance moves \u2014\u00a0especially in depicting the origins of the \u201cBeat It\u201d dance routine and Motown 25<\/em>\u2019s \u201cBillie Jean\u201d performance \u2014 \u00a0you can\u2019t help but feel like you\u2019ve boarded a wayback time machine and been catapulted back into the movie\u2019s \u201960s-\u201880s time frame. Jaafar also insightfully conveys MJ\u2019s loneliness, love of animals (especially Bubbles), kid-at-heart personality and close relationship with mother Katherine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tActing as a fictional character can be difficult enough. Stepping into the shoes of a real-life person and zeroing in on that individual\u2019s personality nuances is quite another, especially when said person isn\u2019t very likable. As he did in another complex role \u2014 his Academy Award-nominated turn as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin \u2014 Domingo deftly flexes his formidable acting skills as daddy Joe. The on-screen tension between Domingo and Jaafar is very palpable as the estrangement between Joe and Michael takes hold.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tThe film brings to light a person that many may not have been aware of: Bill Bray. Hired by Joe early on as a security guard for the Jackson 5, Bray later became MJ\u2019s driver and confidante, and a longtime member of the artist\u2019s inner circle. Watching that behind-the-scenes relationship unfold over the course of the film is a very telling chapter in MJ\u2019s career evolution from kid star to adult superstar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tThere\u2019s been plenty of pre-release drama surrounding Michael. <\/em>Like daughter Paris\u2019 public dismay over the biopic plus media reports about the absence of sister Janet and reshoots of the film ahead of its premiere. While the project is a biopic focusing on Michael Jackson\u2019s solo career and relationship with Joe, it would have been nice to have just a little more context. Like including how Quincy Jones and Michael initially hooked up while working on The Wiz<\/em>, which morphed into teaming up for the latter\u2019s solo breakthrough Off the Wall<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tOr perhaps showing a bit more interaction between MJ and his brothers coming up or of Katherine with her sons. Of Michael\u2019s three sisters \u2014 Rebbie, LaToya and Janet \u2014 only LaToya is featured. In fact, while the audience filed out of the screening this writer attended last evening (April 20), one attendee was overheard asking, \u201cWhere was Janet?\u201d And although Kat Graham is listed online as playing Diana Ross, that role didn\u2019t show up in the movie. However, it was cool to see Gladys Knight & the Pips depicted in the film.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tThe film does make you wonder what it would be like if Michael was still here. What would his input have been in making this biopic? Was he even contemplating a biopic in his future plans? And what would he be doing musically right now? At the time of his death in 2009, Jackson was on the eve of launching his This Is It residency at the O2 Arena in London. His last major outings had been 1997\u2019s HIStory World Tour and 2001\u2019s 30th Anniversary Celebration. The announcement of the O2 residency, following his acquittal on sex abuse charges in 2005, garnered record-breaking sales as fans clamored to see the King of Pop in action once again. That unfulfilled fervor comes back to mind while watching Michael. <\/em>Time will tell if the biopic \u2014 and the second part, if there does end up being one \u2014 can satiate his global fans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/lists\/michael-jackson-biopic-takeaways-review\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/P105P1BV-e1776793809639.jpg?w=1024″] Early in the Michael biopic, Colman Domingo as patriarch Joe Jackson tells his sons, \u201cIn this life, you\u2019re either a winner or a loser.\u201d The senior Jackson\u2019s mantra sets the stage for what\u2019s to come as Michael Jackson begins his rise from precocious Jackson 5 frontman to solo global star. \u00a0 Being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-1895018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1895018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1895018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1895018\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1895018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1895018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1895018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Billboard](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/2HpFicp.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
Jaafar Jackson Skillfully Captures His Uncle<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Colman Domingo Delivers Complex Portrayal of Joe Jackson<\/h2>\n
Bill Bray\u2019s Impactful Role in MJ\u2019s Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Wanted: Just a Bit More Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What Could Have Been<\/strong><\/h2>\n