Director Allan Moyle's Michael Jackson biopic is careful not to tread on any sequined dancing slippers, opting to hint at malfeasance rather than making direct accusations.
Essentially a backstage drama, the film zips back and forth in time and begins by reflecting on the early promise of the musical prodigy born in 1958. After his 1964 debut, little Michael Jackson (Brennan Paul Gademans) has little opportunity to enjoy his precocious success: His tyrannical father, Joe (Fred Tucker), seems more concerned with milking his little cash cow than allowing Michael to have a childhood, and the rigorous work schedule he sets for Michael and his brothers hints at trouble to come. Though Joe and his wife, Kat (Patricia Idlette), are devout Jehova’s Witnesses, they seem less than Christian in the matter of Michael's psychological fragility. As an adult -– sort of -- Michael (Flex Alexander) publicly separates himself from the Jackson Five. Guided by the show biz savvy of his manager, Ziggy (Peter Onorati), and advisor/ bodyguard Bobby (Eugene Clark), Michael achieves dizzying heights of popularity. Yet even the 1982 phenomenon of "Thriller" is tainted by the insistence of the Jehovah's Witness hierarchy that the video box carry a disclaimer about cavorting with zombies. Exhausting tours and religious conflicts turn Michael into a mistrustful paranoiac who seeks comfort in the company of youngsters. After Ziggy criticizes the expense of Michael's dream property, Neverland, Michael dismisses him and grows increasingly eccentric. Marriage to Lisa Marie Presley (Krista Rae) does little to silence the tongue-wagging about Michael's overnight, underage visitors. Conceiving surrogate children with his nurse, Debbie Roe (April Amber Telek), doesn't do the trick either. Unable to top the success of "Thriller," the Gloved One still packs them in at a 2001 Madison Square Garden career retrospective. But zealous prosecutors keep speculating about what Wacko Jackson does behind those closed doors at Neverland Ranch.
For camp value, Court TV’s re-enactment of the 2005 Jackson molestation trial can't be beat. Neither tongue-in-cheek nor insightful, this once-over-lightly biopic offers a rudimentary overview of the controversial King of Pop's career; limited access to Michael’s song canon doesn’t help matters. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
