Available today (January 6, 2015) is the James Brown biopic Get On Up. The film stars Chadwick Boseman (James Brown), Nelsan Ellis (Bobby Byrd), Dan Aykroyd (Ben Bart), Viola Davis (Susie Brown), Craig Robinson (Maceo Parker) and Octavia Spencer (Aunt Honey).
It was nice to see Ocatvia Spencer and Viola Davis in another film together. They were also in the movie The Help.
I didn’t know much about James Brown other than his music and his arrest back in the late 80’s.
Get On Up explores James Brown’s life through a series of flashbacks. It touches up on his family life with his parents Susie and Joe Brown. James comes from an abusive home, which seems to have affected him later in life when he gets physical with his wife Dee Dee for wearing something he deemed inappropriate.
Some people might recognize James’ father in the film played by actor Lennie James. He plays the role of Morgan in the hit television series The Walking Dead.
Much of this film is about James’ music career and how he started off singing in his church choir to how he became a part of the Flames. I had never even heard of this music group before. I Googled them after watching the film and realized I know a lot of the songs. I just always thought it was James Brown. I didn’t realize he was part of a music group.
The only problem I had with the film is that it bounced around too much between flashbacks and flash forwards. I would have liked to have seen the film start in the present (before he passed away of course), then go back to his humble beginnings then follow his career and personal life up to the point where the movie starts. Instead the movie bounces around. I felt lost at times.
I believe they used actual James Brown songs (meaning the songs you hear in the film are sung by James Brown and not the actor Chadwick Boseman). I don’t think there is a way to truly mimic his singing style to begin with.
Speaking of Chadwick Boseman, he totally nailed it. He did a great job playing the part of James Brown right down to his unique dancing style.
I had a hard time with Dan Aykroyd in this film. He plays the role of Ben Bart, James’ manager. Dan’s acting was fine, it’s just that I associate Dan with comedic roles, not serious role. This film is NOT a comedy. Not by a long shot (it’s rather depressing at times). I just fee like he was out of place.
Overall I enjoyed the film, especially the music. I wasn’t a big James Brown fan to begin with (I did enjoy his music), but I enjoy biographies and always find it fascinating how “super stars” start out.
It’s an interesting film. James Brown fans and classic music fans alike should enjoy this glimpse into the life and time of the iconic singer.
The bonus features are a must see. In fact I enjoyed the bonus features probably a bit more than the film.
Bonus Features include;
- Deleted, Alternate and Extended Scenes
- Full Song Performances and Extended Performances
- The Founding Father of Funk: On Stage with the hardest working man
- Long Journey to the Screen
- Tate Taylor’s Masterclass
- Commentary and more.
I enjoyed the song performances. The music really made the film. After all, James Brown was all about the music and showmanship.
I always enjoyed deleted and alternate scenes. I find it interesting how scenes are deleted from films and imagine how different a film would have been in the scenes stayed in the film. Most of the time they are deleted due to time issues and are not pivotal to the film.
The documentaries – The Founding Father of Funk and Long Journey to the Screen – were interesting and worth watching.
Look for Get On Up where ever films are sold.
Here is the trailer for your enjoyment.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
katina S says
Really eager to see this film because of the storyline. Will be interesting to see if it is miscast as you hinted at. Would be tough for any actor to portray James Brown.I am sure the film made a lot of money off the soundtrack
Cynthia R says
I really wanted to see this when it came out, I’m glad you said something about the back and forth, I’ll have to pay extra attention to the movie.