Get On Up (2014) (English Language)

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139min

Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Viola Davis …and more

Writers: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth & Steven Baigelman

The life of The Late Great music legend James Brown gets the big-screen treatment à la Ray and Walk The Line, Chadwick Boseman stars in a story spanning Brown’s tough childhood in rural Georgia during the 30’s & 40’s all the way through the soul & funk revolution to his ascension as the “Godfather of Soul”.

In a film about a man many consider to be the greatest of all entertainers and with a library of unforgettable music such as his, it is impossible to watch this film and not be engaged at some level. Naturally through all the recreations of his great musical performances your toes will be constantly tapping and Boseman does a superb job of capturing Brown’s energy and essence on stage, this however is a triumph of Brown himself and not this film.

Boseman’s performance is impressive when doing the “James Brown act” but in the more subtle scenes it feels like an impersonation of the media image of the man, and an often comedic one at that. Although the film is visually stylish the pacing and storytelling techniques used are often irritating with constant breaking of the 4th wall and talking to camera as well as jumping back and forth between time periods without a lead up or reason.

Ultimately the film missed the opportunity to tell a more gritty and realistic version of a story about one of the greatest but complicated performers in modern music history. Having said that is you are not a fan of the Godfather of Soul or don’t know much about his life “Get on Up” is an entertaining way to get into what might become a fascination with the great man.