Review of Get On Up (2014) by Pepper B — 02 Aug 2014

Get On Up had guts...

Chadwick Boseman gives another command performance, this time as 'The Godfather of Soul', James Brown. These were mighty tall shoes to fill, but he danced his way right into them, honorably. And, whoa, can he 'Blow'! What a voice. Plus, he had James' speaking-slur so down, I had to strain to make out what he was saying. That had to be hard to maintain. He also had the right moves to the grooves. I couldn't help but to 'chair-dance' and sing along to the oldies, but goodies.

Granted, this was a big story to tell in a short time, so it felt a bit choppy, at times. And I'm not sure I liked it when the actor spoke directly to the camera, but I think it captured the essence of his James' life.

Of course, movies usually fabricate the truth, but I definitely learned something about his childhood and his relationship with Bobby Byrd, played perfectly by Nelsan Ellis. He certainly deserves kudos within his own rights.

So if you liked JB, get on up and go see it.