Get On Up Movie Review

Major Spoilers are included in this movie review. Please read with caution.

On August 30, 2020, I watched Get On Up—a biographical movie on James Brown’s life and career released on 2014—to continue praising Chadwick Boseman and the legacy he left for us all. Let me start with how amazing Chadwick Boseman nailed the role, and the charisma, determination, and funk he put into the character. He also perfected James Brown’s swagger to the best of his ability, making it quite difficult to take my eyes off him. Like God damn! Chadwick Boseman played James Brown and Jackie Robinson—two Black American icons! What an incredible man and actor.

However, there were still a few issues with the movie itself that Chadwick Boseman’s presence couldn’t rectify. First, the movie tried to cram all of James Brown’s life—or at least too much of it—into this two-hour movie. I read up that the movie did cut out the specifics of his domestic abuse, his arrests for said violence, and the fact that he had at least four wives. Despite these cuts, the movie felt overstuffed and the domestic violence we did see made me go, “oh shit!” multiple times.

Telling the story not in chronological order didn’t help either. The film opened with James Brown firing a shotgun in an office building that would lead to a police chase and his arrest, then the story would jump back and forth through other moments in his life. I didn’t understand why the movie was set-up this way until the emotional moments hit.

Growing up, James Brown was forced to look out for James Brown—the way he referred to himself in the third person drove that message to the audience loud and clear. It was his survival mode that made him a success in the music business, but it also drove away all his bandmates who demanded respect and pay on the same level as him, his best friend Bobby (Nelsan Ellis, Rest in Peace), and all the women he abused.

I was genuinely surprised by how dark Get On Up got toward the movie’s end, but I also appreciated how the filmmakers and Chadwick Boseman didn’t “glorify” James Brown either. Yes, James Brown’s music was amazing and Chadwick Boseman lip synched those songs well too throughout the film’s musical performances, but James Brown was also not the best human being.

Honestly, Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of James Brown was spot-on and that made the movie a worthwhile watch for me. Given Chadwick Boseman’s recent passing, that may even be enough to give it a viewing yourself. The choice is yours, blog readers. Thanks for reading this movie review. Rest in power, Chadwick Boseman and Nelsan Ellis. You are both dearly missed.