Following his widely successful movie “The Help,” director Tate Taylor decided to try something new. Producers Mick Jagger and Brian Grazer proposed Taylor direct a biopic chronicling the life of “The Godfather of Soul,” James Brown. Thus, “Get On Up” was born.
The movie opens with Brown, high on PCP, using a shotgun to threaten an insurance seminar in order to find out who used his private bathroom, making it instantly clear that the movie does not shy away from the darker side of Brown’s life. Although I found this scene to be a rather poor choice to start the film, it does set the central theme of the movie — James Brown only cares about James Brown.
“Get On Up” tracks the story of a man whose ascension to greatness would not be slowed by concerns for the wellbeing of those around him. The son of abusive parents in rural Georgia, abandoned as a child, Brown, aka Little Junior, works as a barker at his aunt’s brothel until he is arrested at 16 for stealing a three-piece suit. Brown joins his friend Bobby Byrd’s gospel group and quickly becomes lead singer. Byrd endures Brown’s tyrannical treatment of his band for more than a decade before he finally moves on. Brown and Byrd later make amends, and the movie ends.
“Get On Up” suffers from a nonlinear narrative that arbitrarily skips around and leaves out connecting details necessary to give Brown’s complicated life a sense of cohesion. The film also makes the mistake of sporadically breaking the fourth wall, giving it the sense of an episode of “Dora the Explorer,” despite the mature content. Despite these faults, the movie is saved from ruin by Chadwick Boseman’s phenomenal depiction of Brown.
If it wasn’t for the occasional placement of actual footage of James Brown concerts, I would have forgotten it was Boseman, not the founding father of funk, sliding across the stage in a golden jumpsuit screeching, “Get Up Offa That Thing.” Not only did Boseman nail Brown’s on-stage performances, his speaking voice is spot-on. He also mastered the singular James Brown strut and his brilliant smile. Boseman brings James Brown back to life, and for this I can forgive the movie’s other shortcomings.
The set and costume design of the movie were exceptional as well. From his sapphire suit to his fur coat to his shimmering silver cape, Boseman’s costumes were half the fun of the movie, and the costume designers did an excellent job chronicling the changes in fashion over the six decades the movie spans.
If you are willing to look past poorly timed jumps in storylines that stunt emotional build and will inevitably leave you confused, go see “Get On Up” to witness Boseman’s virtuoso performance and to sing along to all of Brown’s timeless hits.
@ChronyArts