Review of Get On Up (2014) by Spangle — 04 Aug 2014

This one is pretty good and is ultimately a good, fair look at James Brown's life. It did not show just all the success and positivity he had, but it also showed the negative elements of him and his life and, overall, felt very complete and well done.

The storytelling could have been a little better (it kept jumping around in time throughout), but the direction was strong for the most part and felt very focused. The soundtrack is also great, as expected.

The acting from all is also good, however, the real superstar here is Chadwick Boseman. In a true Oscar nomination-worthy performance, Boseman really embodies Brown to a t and really brings the "funk" and "groove" in his performance and his dance moves.

This was a true powerhouse performance from an actor who is clearly somebody on the rise. At the end of the day, it is a biopic and it is hard to cover everything in a person's life in a 2 hour+ time frame, but I think this one did pretty well (even if it did jump around and gloss over some things) and, as I said, felt very fair.

But, this one will be remembered as the film that made Boseman into a star, more so than for any other element of it.