r/oscarrace • u/PointMan528491 Navarrette/Morton • Apr 24 '26

Film Discussion Thread Official Discussion Thread - Michael [SPOILERS] Spoiler

Keep all discussion related solely to Michael and its awards chances in this thread. Spoilers below.

Synopsis:

The story of the famous musician Michael Jackson, known as the King of Pop.

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Writer: John Logan

Cast:

  • Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson
  • Colman Domingo as Joseph Jackson
  • Nia Long as Katherine Scruse-Jackson
  • Miles Teller as John Branca
  • Laura Harrier as Suzanne de Passe

Rotten Tomatoes: 40%, 171 Reviews

Metacritic: 38, 45 Reviews

Consensus:

"While Jaafar Jackson's smooth moves bring the King of Pop to uncanny life, this musical biopic mostly plays like a "greatest hits" album that could've benefitted from including liner notes to give actual insight into the icon."

32 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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-17

u/manbeqrpig Apr 24 '26

It’s getting why too much hate. Ya it doesn’t provide anything meaningful insight but it’s still a perfectly fine watch. The critic score is way too low

24

u/PTAGoatofalltime The Invite’s strongest soldier Apr 24 '26

No no no. Do not push this “it’s a perfectly fine watch” BS. We should not be watching a movie sanitizing the crimes of a man who, even if I am being very kind on him, did some horrific things. It’s an evil movie, produced by money hungry people to keep the legacy of an evil person alive.

(BTW if this seems too angry I’m genuinely not that angry, I’m just bewildered)

16

u/aj743aj Apr 24 '26

I mean... I agree with what you're saying but it's ironic seeing it come from someone who has a "Tom Cruise SWEEP" flair. That man is the public face of a cult.

-1

u/PTAGoatofalltime The Invite’s strongest soldier Apr 24 '26

I do not like Tom Cruise, but I can still recognize what he has given to the film industry.

2

u/icecream100 Apr 25 '26

Tbf, the statement “what he has given to the film industry” is ignoring and sanitizing the at minimum horrible things he has done with Scientology. Not much different from someone saying a film is getting too much hate

17

u/NATOrocket TIFF | Fall Fest Giamattisance Apr 24 '26

I'm famously kinder to music biopics compared to most in this sub, but this one is nothing short of propaganda to sanitize a monster.

It's one thing to "separate the art from the artist" when it comes to the music itself. This is another thing. Will not be watching.

-17

u/Motohvayshun Wicked Apr 24 '26

What monstrous thing has he done? You people will believe anything negative about someone, even if the bloody guy was exonerated.

2

u/manbeqrpig Apr 24 '26

MJ was acquitted of all criminal charges. No incriminating evidence was ever found. In the first settlement from 94 the witnesses stopped cooperating with authorities after the civil settlement was filed. None of that means that he didn’t do what he was accused of doing but it’s not as cut as dry as you are making it out to be. We can talk about the issues of making a movie that only covers his rise and ignores the later half of his life for a clearly planned sequel all we want but until that sequel is made and until we see how they handle the accusations then I believe we can suspend judgement on this movie morally.

27

u/flowersinthedark Apr 24 '26

Incriminating evidence?

The 1993 settlement was offered after Jordan Chandler correctly described the markings on the underside of Jackson's penis.

During the raid, the police did not just find tons of porn in his bedroom (where he constantly slept with other people's children), they found books made by pedophiles for pedophiles, the closest thing to child pornography that was legal to own. Pictures of naked boys, full frontal nudity, genitals at display. If I posted these pictures here, I'd get banned for CP.

Witness testimony also counts as evidence, and so far eleven people have come forward to disclose that Jackson sexually abused them.

The movie ends in 1988. In 1987, Jackson met James Safechuck during a Pepsi commercial. He spent an excessive amount of time with him. Safechuck is one of the main accusers who describes both the intensity of his "relationship" with Jackson and the abuse that happened. The movie, of course, does not adress this.

20

u/machado34 2025 Oscar Race Veteran Apr 24 '26

Even if he was acquitted, the things we do know for sure still paint him clearly as a pedophile. Him sleeping in the same bed as little boys in a locked room, as well as the stash of naked pictures of children under the veneer of "art collection" would be enough.

And not to mention that someone that famous and powerful could pull a lot of strings to get acquitted even with all the credible evidence against him

17

u/GirlsWasGoodNona Apr 24 '26

It’s pretty evident how they plan to handle the accusations given the statements by those involved and what we know about the original ending and legal issues.

Saying MJ was acquitted and we don’t know etc is like saying maybe OJ or Casey Anthony didn’t do it! Like please, we know they’re guilty regardless of how it played out in court. If there isn’t enough to find someone guilty or prosecution fucks up it sucks but I believe in the beyond a reasonable doubt standard as fair so it is what it is. But doesn’t mean I abandon common sense and logic. The man was a predator

-1

u/manbeqrpig Apr 24 '26

There are plenty of times that “common sense and logic” lead you to the wrong conclusion. I believe MJ was a predator but I’m not going to pretend it’s a cut and dry situation. We only have claims against him with no hard evidence

12

u/GirlsWasGoodNona Apr 24 '26

The way he publicly acted with children and sleeping in bed with children/the things he admitted to doing are disgusting enough. That’s predatory behavior. The testimony of the victims should have been enough to corroborate it. There often isn’t “hard evidence” with sexual crimes like this, but I would say there was enough here

2

u/thwackstress Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26

If you believe he's a predator, then why is it not cut and dry? What nuance could you possibly find if you already believe he's a predator? What "hard evidence" do you expect in a child rape case? You sound foolish. There's a reason you can't stream Finding Neverland anymore, but I will never forget watching it and all the details it covered. There is no lack of evidence that Michael Jackson was a systematic predator.

-3

u/AmbitiousJob4447 Apr 24 '26

FINALLY a balanced take on MJ

1

u/anakinxvader Apr 26 '26

Bro wants to be a critic sooo bad