Michael: Is the Biopic Done Right?

I took my two oldest sons to watch the new Michael Jackson movie, Michael, on May 13th. My oldest son is 17 and my second oldest is 12. I give them a crash course in Michael Jackson the night before. I head to YouTube and pull up “Blame It on the Boogie,” “Dancing Machine” (to show Michael’s dance moves and how his brothers work together), “Smooth Criminal,” “Billie Jean,” “Bad” (the 19-minute film), “Remember the Time,” and “Scream.” After the crash course, I ask them which one they like the most. The oldest says “Smooth Criminal” and “Billie Jean.” The second oldest says the same — he does whatever his brother does. I give them the option to watch Mortal Kombat II, but they surprisingly decide Michael is the movie they want to see. Now that’s a proud parent moment.

I purchase all of our tickets for a 1:00 p.m. showing — matinee, baby! It comes out to about $26.00. Then AMC charges us another dollar or so per ticket because we aren’t part of their subscription and we ordered online. Weird. Sounds like a scam to me, lol. It doesn’t help that they run a commercial in the theater featuring mafia guys explaining the membership program. I buy the unlimited big popcorn for the boys (they refill it once) and unlimited sodas. I grab a margarita — that one’s for me, thank you very much. The food comes to about $35.00. Damn! I see where the real money is made. We head into Theater 002, drop into our red recliner seats, and arrive just in time. The Michael Jackson logo appears with his feet walking across the screen, and then he rises onto his tiptoes. The music begins. Man, are we at a concert? Yes, we are.

Sitting in the theater between both of my sons is magical. Any time the music plays, I see them light up and bob their heads. A tear tries to escape my eye, but I won’t let it. There’s a scene where Joe Jackson is talking with his sons at the table and the boys say “Yes, sir” in unison. This is something my boys can relate to — they all say “yes, sir,” “no, sir,” and “yes, ma’am” in our house. It’s a sign of respect. We also have a lot of sons in our family — six in total, plus one daughter — so surviving in a big family is something my kids understand. In the film, you see La Toya Jackson get some screen time, and I’m glad they don’t leave her out. Still, the story is always about what the boys are doing. In our household, our daughter is in the middle, so she fights to have her voice heard, and she holds her own.

I really believe making a biopic as a feature film is difficult work. In the feature-film medium, it usually doesn’t work when the subject had a lot going on across multiple decades. In my opinion, if a director is limited to a two-hour film, you can’t jump around too much or it will disorient the viewer. We talk about this on episode 234 of Filmmaker Commentary, when we cover the movie Get on Up, a biopic about James Brown (listen here). That film jumped around so much that the music became the crutch holding it together. It’s really hard to do well. We covered two other musician biopics that I feel were done well within the limitations of the feature-film format. The first was What’s Love Got to Do with It, a film about Tina Turner’s horrible relationship with Ike Turner. That movie focused more on the relationship than on the music, which made for powerful performances by Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne — both of whom were nominated for Oscars. The film also benefited from Tina Turner herself helping with the vocals for Angela and guiding the production through what really happened in her life (listen here).

The second film is 2004’s Ray, with Jamie Foxx in the lead role. That film was about the music! It had an unusual advantage: Jamie Foxx could play piano as a classically trained pianist, sing as an accomplished R&B vocalist, mimic as a trained comedian, and act as well. The film also benefited from Ray Charles being able to coach Jamie on his musical style, and Jamie was able to copy his mannerisms and speech. The film went on to win two Oscars. We cover it in episode 48 of Filmmaker Commentary (listen here).

I say all that to say this: I believe the appropriate medium for a biopic is a miniseries, or a film told in multiple parts — especially when the subject was prolific over decades.

We got our introduction to the Jackson family through a television miniseries called The Jacksons: An American Dream, which debuted on ABC from November 15–18, 1992. Almost every Black family in America watched that miniseries — and honestly, every American family should have. It was five hours long, spread over two nights, and grown people in their 40s still quote it to this day. For example: “Go to bed, Joseph!” And, “Michael, Marlon — who left the towels by the swimming pool?!” The film went on to win an Emmy. The source material came from Katherine Jackson’s autobiography, and the miniseries was executive-produced by Jermaine Jackson and Suzanne de Passe. In the new 2026 biopic, Suzanne is played by Laura Harrier.

The two-part film is considered one of the best biopics featuring musicians. Considering Michael had so many lifetimes in the music industry, the miniseries format let the story breathe and really examine those eras. The miniseries covered 40 years of the family’s work. The tone isn’t rushed, and it allows you to fall in love with certain characters — especially Michael.

More info here: Tubi and IMDb.

This new biopic is the feel-good version of how Michael takes control of his life. We really get to hang out with Michael, understand his music-making process, and enjoy the music. Even though Michael had a dark life, this film chooses to bring sunshine to it. The look of the film feels fantastical — almost like it doesn’t feel like a movie in the usual sense. I’m not sure if that is intentional or if that’s just the look of digital. Either way, I can see the difference on the screen.

My kids love it and feel inspired to create afterward. As I drive back home, we talk about the scene where Michael plays percussion using his mouth, almost like hip-hop. You get a hip-hop vibe in this music, and it’s presented in the film when he starts the production of the Bad album. I turn on the radio and play Michael’s album Off the Wall — the perfect music for our drive home. It feels good to watch a film without so much negativity in it. This movie is made with love, and it ignites my appetite for good music. I think this movie is the better choice — and yes, it’s done right.