Review of Get On Up (2014) by Martin I — 02 Dec 2014

A fine lead performance that is stifled by an erratic script.

A film about a musical legend should really focus on two obvious things: the music and the legend. That is to say, the man behind the legend. "Get On Up" achieves the former with some distinction, but falters horribly with the latter.

James Brown was a big character, and Chadwick Boseman is brilliant in his portrayal of a strong-minded individual who knew how to make music and make it work for him. However, Boseman is not helped by the non-linear script that quickly becomes repetitive and tedious.

We jump around between key years of Brown's life, but in no particular order. We don't even have the later years used a framing device as we chart the man's history. We just jump around, with musical set-pieces (which are fantastic, the first few times) and the odd dramatic scenes which due to the pacing lose a lot of their impact. You can argue that it makes for a much less formulaic biopic, but it just does not work.

The music is funky, and we get that first time around, but as the musical set-pieces roll on they become monotonous. They almost all play out the same; showcasing Boseman's energy and nothing more. Only one really reveals anything about the man, but it's not enough.

And this is the films biggest let down. Get On Up tells us very little about the man himself. We get the vague rags-to-riches tale and we scrap the surface of two or three of his relationships, but it delves no further. We're left with a sense that James Brown was generally funky and angry a lot of the time!

The various ideas are too much aswell. Non linear timeline, breaking of the fourth wall, James Brown the man depicted as his childhood self. Maybe sacrificing some of these artistic ventures and maybe revealing a bit more about the core of the artist would have been more enjoyable.

Essentially it is an okay biopic. It's a film that really lives and dies with Boseman's performance. Worth if for the wardrobe, music and Boseman alone but you'll see much better biopics this year.