My previous commentaries on Michael Jackson make it clear that I harbor very conflicted feelings about him.
For, on the one hand, I’m his biggest fan:
Paying tribute to Michael Jackson as the King of Pop is rather like paying tribute to Joseph Ratzinger as the Pope. For, where his musical genius was concerned, Michael was not only entertaining, but also revered and respected to the point of seeming, well, Invincible… His musical legacy is set in platinum.
[Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, is dead, TIJ, June 27, 2009]
While on the other, I’m his most despairing critic:
Frankly, the pathological self-loathing, predatory entitlement and attention-grabbing antics that characterized his personal life were beginning to fatally undermine the appeal of his professional life.
[Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, is dead, TIJ, June 27, 2009]
It is ironic, therefore, that after seeing This Is It tonight, I left the cinema feeling vindicated both in my praise and criticism of Michael.
This film, of course, is a skillfully edited chronicle of rehearsals for the long-awaited comeback that was derailed by his mysterious death.
But it’s probably the first time in the history of cinema that a movie has surpassed all promotional hype and critical acclaim, which is saying a lot.
Especially with movie critics all waxing rapturous in their reviews: with Roger Friedman, for example, hailing it as “the ‘Thriller’ of the year ” and Sam Rabin declaring that “Elizabeth Taylor’s praise [of it as ‘the most brilliant piece of film making I’ve ever seen’] is right on the money.”
I’m not a movie critic, however. So I won’t play one here. Except that I will share this:
My favorite MJ music video is not Beat It, or Billie Jean or even Thriller. Instead, it’s Smooth Criminal. And it was nothing short of mind blowing to watch him outdo himself, with dazzling moves and timbre-perfect voice, when he performed (i.e., rehearsed) this song.
I was also extremely impressed by the extent to which Michael not only controlled every aspect of this extraordinary production but also demonstrated as much technical expertise as every expert he hired to help him pull it off. For example, a number of scenes feature Michael telling director Kenny Ortega how to do his job – but only in the most loving and endearing way….
Then there’s the age-defying fact that this 50-year old exuded so much energy on stage that he seemed more of a contemporary than someone twice the age of his backup dancers, which in fact was the case. Indeed, despite all of the rumors about his ill-health, Michael appeared in vintage form.
This Is It is a musical and cultural supernova. You gotta see it!
That said, my euphoria leaving the cinema was tempered by the show-biz thought that this film will do far more to seal his legacy (and make him a legend) than the 50 shows he was scheduled to perform ever could.
Because as brilliant as he undoubtedly would have performed in a few of them, the inescapable and wholly warranted fear is that, inevitably, his patented off-stage antics would have detracted too much from his stellar on-stage performances. Not to mention that, after 10 shows, the novelty would have worn off, and his (aging and frail) body might have given way.
This is why I am left with the admittedly perverse feeling that, even though “a comet blazing across the evening sky, [Michael was not] gone too soon….”
Thanks MJ! R.I.P. (Move over Elvis, Michael’s here!)
Related commentaries:
Michael Jackson, the king of pop, is dead
R.I.P MJ
*I saw the 7:40 show last night. I immediately wrote and published this commentary, originally, at 10:31 pm.
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