MICHAEL

Review by Victoria Alexander

I went to see MICHAEL for the music. I left the theater terrified of Joe Jackson.

I am reading Math and the Mona Lisa: The Art and Science of Leonardo da Vinci by Bülent Atalay. There is a brief mention that Leonardo “may never have had a sexual relationship with a woman.” The author writes that “he may have been a homosexual was long suspected by art historians.”

Well, “long suspected” flies in the face of Leonardo’s accusation of sodomy, and the scandal had a negative effect on his reputation. The charges were eventually dropped for lack of evidence.

Atalay states that the accusation took a “toll on Leonardo that made the period excruciatingly painful for him. Commissions from wealthy patrons dried up, although this was perhaps also due to his growing reputation for not finishing works on time.” The author prefers to suggest that Leonardo’s lazy painting habits were to blame for the lack of commissions instead of his being arrested on charges of sodomy. Yet his public career was just beginning. Only later was Leonardo known for taking too long to finish commissions.

I decided to do further research on Leonardo’s charge of sodomy. How does it compare to Michael Jackson’s child abuse allegations?

In April 1476, 24-year-old Leonardo da Vinci was, at first, anonymously accused of sodomy with a 17-year-old male model, later named Jacopo Saltarelli. Because Renaissance Florence severely punished homosexual acts — sometimes with exile or death — the case sparked a major investigation, though the charges were ultimately dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

Saltarelli had accused Leonardo and three other men of having sexual relations with him. The Ufficiali di Notte, or Office of the Night, was a vice squad established to root out homosexual behavior. Leonardo was arrested and temporarily detained.

Some historians speculate that the case may have been quickly dismissed because one of the accused men, Leonardo Tornabuoni, was connected to the powerful and politically influential Medici family. The incident is the only major historical record directly addressing da Vinci’s private life, and “it left a permanent mark on his public reputation.”

The genius of Leonardo da Vinci is an undisputed fact.

I am not equating a Renaissance sodomy charge with modern allegations of child sexual abuse. The comparison is about reputation, scandal, historical memory, and how accusations attach themselves to genius.

However, if the asteroid Apophis does not wipe out humanity in 2029, I predict that in 2126, Jackson’s multiple child sexual abuse allegations, which began in 1993 and ended in a jury finding him not guilty, will be viewed very differently. Instead of defining him forever, the allegations may become a historical footnote in a larger story of celebrity, money, manipulation, and public judgment. He was found not guilty of all charges.

It might take just another 20 years, but Michael Jackson’s life will be rehabilitated, and those damaging allegations will increasingly be seen by his defenders as the result of families wanting cash. The danger is that history may eventually recast even the most disturbing allegations as misunderstandings, extortion attempts, or persecution.

MICHAEL PART 2, if it happens, would have to confront not only Jackson, but the adults around him — parents, handlers, doctors, lawyers, and profiteers — who entered his orbit.

I went to see MICHAEL for the music. I left the theater terrified of Joe Jackson, played by Colman Domingo. The film certainly did not whitewash the horror of Michael’s childhood. The film presents Joe Jackson’s control over Michael as so brutal and invasive that it invites darker psychological readings of their relationship, even beyond what the movie explicitly states.

In effect, Michael would never have a normal marriage and family. Joe had to control everything about Michael, and that control chained his moneymaker to him for life.

Michael had only one thing that was truly his: his face and body. He did everything he could to remove any genetic link to his father. Michael’s obsession with youth, innocence, and childhood can be read as a psychological device to shame Joe, because Joe knew he created Michael Jackson in every way possible.

As far as MICHAEL avoiding all accusations of child abuse, was it necessary for Baz Luhrmann to end ELVIS with an obese Presley naked and dead on his toilet?

Wolfgang Mozart’s father was the Joe Jackson in his life. Wolfgang’s lifelong obsession with scatology is addressed by historians as both the humor of the time and something encouraged by his father, Leopold Mozart. “From surviving information, it was Leopold Mozart who thoroughly enjoyed that humor and encouraged his family to indulge in it.”

One of Mozart’s most famous scatological works is the canon “Leck mich im Arsch,” which literally translates to “Lick me in the arse.”

Mozart biographers excuse the scatological compositions as “likely intended as lighthearted ‘party pieces’ for his friends.”

The history of genius is full of biographers explaining away disturbing, embarrassing, or socially unacceptable behavior as period humor, eccentricity, trauma, or misunderstanding. Michael Jackson’s legacy may eventually undergo a similar process of explanation, minimization, and rehabilitation.

Wikipedia’s Michael Jackson page states: “Dubbed the ‘King of Pop,’ he is widely regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of the 20th century. Jackson is often deemed the greatest entertainer of all time.”

MICHAEL is the celebration of the innocent Michael Jackson that the world knew until 1993. The movie ends in 1988.

Director Antoine Fuqua gives MICHAEL enough layers to foretell the years that follow and would make MICHAEL PART 2 a fascinating follow-up. How will they present the problems Michael Jackson faced without destroying his legacy?

There is big money to be made in music biopics. These films cannot be made without the music. The Michael Jackson Estate holds all the rights to Michael’s image, music, and catalog. Could ELVIS have succeeded without his iconic music?

Michael is played by his nephew Jaafar Jackson, who delivers a note-perfect performance. However, not one complete performance is shown — just bits of the iconic songs.

Because the family and estate maintained a strong hand in the film’s production, with his son Prince Jackson serving as an executive producer, the movie offers a highly curated perspective on his life.

As Joe Jackson — I saw him in the crowd at an Eddie Griffin comedy show in Las Vegas years ago — Colman Domingo will get an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Watching him as Joe Jackson, I was reminded of Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker in ELVIS and Will Smith as the force behind Serena and Venus Williams in KING RICHARD. Jackson senior’s control over Michael prevented the King of Pop from having a proper THRILLER tour, because Joe had engineered the Jacksons’ Victory Tour.

The movie makes it feel as if Joe Jackson believed he had a contract giving him full rights in perpetuity to Michael.

Joe Jackson’s terror-grip on Michael and the entire Jackson family is the only real drama in this movie, along with, of course, the Pepsi commercial fiasco that set Michael’s hair on fire.

If MICHAEL becomes the major box-office success Lionsgate clearly hopes for, MICHAEL PART 2 feels inevitable. Why not make the sequel a drama?

The sequel has the villainous $150,000-a-month physician, Conrad Murray, on a phone call with his romantic interest, Sade Anding, during the critical moments Michael was dying.

The finale should celebrate Michael Jackson with the real Michael’s complete performance of his most famous song. I suggest “Billie Jean.”

“The ALL is Mind; The Universe is Mental.”


Rotten Tomatoes Certified Critic since 1998. For a complete list

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Member of Las Vegas Film Critics Society

Personal email: victoria.alexander.lv@gmail.com

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