Review of Get On Up (2014) by Nathan H — 18 Aug 2014

Worth it for the music alone. Using James Brown's voice for the songs was a gamble that paid off more times than it didn't. Plus, James Brown was one of those larger than life figures that you can build a movie around.

Because James Brown was such an extreme figure it makes Boseman's performance in this film even better than the one in "42." You never doubted for a second that he was James Brown. The film is not perfect, though.

I particularly have a problem with it's non-linear story telling and some of it's more surreal elements. Even if you think talking to the camera works for "House of Cards" (I don't) it takes you out of a biopic, as do many of the "fantasies" that James Brown has in this film.