Director: Tate Taylor
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Viola Davis, Dan Aykroyd, Octavia Spencer
Running Time: 138 minutes
Certificate: 12
Starting with Chadwick Boseman’s aged James Brown turning up with a shotgun at his self-owned business trying to work out who used his toilet isn’t exactly what I’d expected from this biopic but stay with me, and stick with the story, as over time we look inside Brown’s turbulent life from a kid right up to this opening segment.
GET ON UP is inspired and based on the unique life of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. It certainly encroaches on giving us a fearless look inside the life of the curious Brown but is initially a little muddled. Although we’ll come to connect the dots, it takes a while to get into the story as we flash back and forth through his life. It’s not complicated but it is distracting but thankfully the sheer talent and interest in the man’s life comes through eventually.
As a whole we’re on the outside looking in but GET ON UP does something unusual with Brown addressing the camera at specific moments. It breaks the fourth wall regularly and although I’m not sure what it achieves overall, I’d assume it’s endeavouring to reflect his connection to people through his music. It’s probably the only thing here that doesn’t really keep to a rhythm but does particularly work when he temporarily turns violent and we head towards the history of his Father, the latter being someone we learn about early on. This particular scene reveals to us that Brown knows what he’s done wrong and thus we learn the only time that he’s in control, is when he’s deep in the music and cloaked in energy during the high-voltage stage shows. The film also doesn’t shy away from the complications in his life and really does show how dedicated he was to the show and the business that came with it.
What GET ON UP does emphatically is remind us of his individuality as Chadwick Boseman fully immerses into James Brown and fully becomes the character he portrays. Now, obviously, I didn’t grow up with Brown the first time around but his music was part of the plethora of sound that surrounded me growing up and still does to this day. Was Brown the first real, genuine genius superstar? I’d say very possibly with influence on more music scenes and individuals than you probably realise.
Chadwick is also accompanied by an important cast that includes Viola Davis as his mother Susie Brown, Octavia Spencer as Aunt Honey, a great Dan Ackroyd as his eventual friend and manager Ben Bart. The standout performance comes from Nelsan Ellis, Brown’s long-term friend and musical compatriot Bobby Byrd. His part is a vital one, with a strong, focused performance that’s exceptional.
Occasionally edited unusually and by no means perfect, GET ON UP becomes a unique biopic, which intriguingly, reflects James Brown himself who was an utter individual with genius unbound, troubles all around but, most of all, the funkiest sound.
[usr=3] GET ON UP is out now on Blu-ray and DVD, and [usr=5] for Boseman’s performance in it own right, funky as funk gets.
Buy it here and check out a special preview below:
