Although usually the domain of pre-Oscar, end of the year holiday season, the feature film biography, or “bio-pic”, will occasionally pop up amongst the big Summer blockbusters. A little over a year ago it was 42, the story of Jackie Robinson. Its late Spring release might also be seen as a response to 2011’s surprise Summer smash THE HELP which also explored American race relations, but used fictional characters. This weekend sees the release of GET ON UP, the biopic of music superstar James Brown. And while most of GET takes place a decade after Robinson’s barrier-breaking entry into then all-white major league baseball, Brown shattered some similar barriers and became one of the first major black entertainers that captured fans of all races. And, wouldn’t you know it, the talented young actor who played Jackie Robinson last year, Chadwick Boseman, trades in his cleats for florescent platforms in order to play “the Godfather of Soul”. Quite a daunting task, but Boseman is guided by the director of THE HELP (along with a couple of actors from that film), Tate Taylor, and producers Brain Grazer (one half of Imagine Entertainment) and a certain Mick Jagger, a fellow who knows a bit about singing. Let’s get down with the funk and GET ON UP.
The film’s opening moments tell us that we’re not in your typical biography as the time switches from the 1960’s to the early 40’s, then shooting up to the late 80’s. This is a way to show us all facets of James Brown’s exceptional life. At his youngest, we see an eight year-old James frolicking in the woods with his mother Susie (Viola Davis). It seems like a modest, but idyllic life in rural Georgia until the arrival of the bitter father Joe (Lennie James). Soon he sends her away, but Joe has no parenting skills. With the arrival of World War II, Joe enlists and drops little James off with Aunt Honey (Octavia Spencer) to live and work at her brothel. Somehow he sneaks away early Sunday mornings to the little church where James is mesmerized by the flamboyant dancing, singing preacher, During his teen years, a petty burglary lands James (Boseman) in the local jail where he encounters Bobby Byrd (Nelsan Ellis), the leader of a gospel vocal group. Impressed by his musical talents, Byrd gets Brown released into his custody. Brown lives at Byrd’s family home and joins the group, but crooning gospel is not enough, Using some inspiration and advise from Little Richard (Brandon Smith), they become “the Famous Flames”, and attract the attention of Federal Records exec Ben Bart (Dan Aykroyd) who decides that Brown should be the act’s main star. We then see Brown’s rise to fame with a concert album recording at the Apollo, impressing the young Rolling Stones at the 64′ TAMI Show, singing for Frankie Avalon on the set of SKI PARTY, daring to perform in Boston the day after the King assassination, and risking his life to perform for the troops in Vietnam. Along the way he fathers children, marries, and changes the recording and concert business.
As terrific as he was as Jackie Robinson, Boseman is a revelation as James Brown. It is a star, no, mega-star making turn that puts his screen career into a new level. This will have to be a phenomenal Fall and Winter for him not to score an Oscar nomination. He emulates that marble-mouthed, gravel-voiced speech pattern in the many dialogue scenes along with several moments when he busts that fourth wall to give us some insight on the scene (a device that was a bit overdone recently in JERSEY BOYS). After a horrific holiday incident, he glares at us, as if to say, “Yeah, I know. I’m terrible”. And when he performs, he almost takes your breath away. We can feel the charisma exploding off the screen as concert audiences just could not stay seated. Luckily Boseman is given a wonderfull supporting cast, particularly Ellis as his spiritual big brother. We see in Byrd’s eyes all that hurt that Brown casually inflicts over the years. But we also see his respect and awe of the huge talent. And Brown has a terrific father figure in Bart played with great heart and humor by Akyroyd. He also gets exasperated at Brown’s indulgences, while being unable to control his bursting pride at Brown’s rocket ride to fame. Bart is there to explain how things are done in order for Brown to turn everything upside down in the music world. Davis is shattering as the mother taken from Brown, who returns to break his heart once more. Spencer has a lot of fun as the no-nonsense Madame suddenly saddled with a young boy. Jill Scott exudes an earthy, playful sexuality as DeeDee, the second wife. Smith makes a hilarious Little Richard as he lectures outside his regular job cooking at a burger joint (love the hairnet) and warns James about “white devils”. And Craig Robinson gets big laughs as the frustrated horn player Maceo Parker.
With all the time bounces, it’s a testament to the film making talents of Taylor that he never distracts us from the story of the remarkable entertainer. To further the flow, each segment will have a chapter title referring to one of Brown’s many showbiz nicknames like “Mr. Dynamite”, “Music Box”. and “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business”. And he doesn’t paint the subject as a saint. Besides that holiday scene, we see Brown as the stern task master, leveling costly fines at his band members for being late, missing cues, and even swearing. That’s not to discount the heroic side. We can feel the tension as Brown’s plane barely makes a landing during his Vietnam tour and later as Brown tries to diffuse the tension at the Boston 68′ concert. And there’s a lot here devoted to Brown’s business savvy and how he eliminated many middle-men that profited often more than the performers. The biggest flaw in the film is that Taylor tries to cram into too much of this remarkable life, making the film feel longer than its two and a quarter hours. Luckily the film is full of pulse-pounding energy whenever Boseman is electrifying the throngs (if only those JERSEY BOYS had some of that spark in their song sequences). It’s Boseman channeling Brown that makes GET ON UP an exhilarating experience and one of this Summer’s must see movies. Or to quote Mr. B , “Yaaow!! Hey!”.
4 Out 5
