Get on Up: The James Brown Story I can recommend seeing the new film about funk legend James Brown. While not quite in the same league as the classic Ray it is certainly an entertaining watch and features a performance from Chadwick Boseman every bit as Oscar worthy as Jamie Foxxs turn as Ray Charles. Avoiding a strictly chronological approach to Browns life is both an interesting experiment and something that sometimes robs the film of momentum. We go from the brink of an epic sweat soaked performance to suddenly being whisked back to Browns miserable childhood in the blink of an eye. However as the film develops the approach starts to pay off as we see the different strands of Browns life interact and as broad a picture as cinematically possible of this essentially unknowable individual emerges. The film is essentially rather down beat, it admirably refuses to sugar coat Brown but sometimes feels like the Ike Turner portions of the grim Tina Turner story Whats Love Got to Do with It with Brown’s wife beating and bullying of his long suffering side kick Bobby Byrd threatening to overshadow the music. The violence is ugly and it feels like it is impossible to watch a Hollywood film today without a side helping of spousal abuse. However the look of embarrassed shame Boseman directs towards the audience after assaulting his wife (soul singer Jill Scott) is a brilliant bit of acting and helps it rise above mere misogyny. Despite all this we would not be here without the music and it is testament to the emotional power of Brown’s greatest songs that it takes a 2 hour movie to try and explain what makes them still sound so good other than just saying “well it’s dam funky!”. When we are finally allowed the release of Brown ripping it up on stage Boseman throws himself into the role with some great dancing and wardrobe. Never has a man been so funky clad in a green velour jump suit (James Brown the Kermit years) and Boseman threatens to short circuit the stage lights with the gallons of sweat poring from him. If ultimately the performances fall short of the real thing it does a fine job and it does an even better one at sending you running back to re-listen to the classic songs and performances once the movie finishes. Brown was such a physical athlete on stage and created so much energy that to match it is an impossible task, far more of a challenge than playing the relatively static Ray Charles or Johnny Cash, and I feel Boseman’s performance surpasses Jamie Foxx and Joaquin Phoenix in their respective roles due to the physical as well as emotional challenges the role demanded. Wisely the producers do not slather him in prosthetics allowing the 32 year old to recreate Brown’s presence and mannerism’s through acting. While they are not that similar looking, Brown being broader and more physically powerful, Boseman simply chooses the key elements that made Brown Brown and goes beyond simple impersonation to create an amalgam of Black experience though from the 50s to the 70s. In some ways the film works as a history of the black entertainer and embraces moments of cinematic surrealism to achieve this such as Brown’s vision of funk in the middle of a battle royal. The movie does fall into the trap of some fairly risible “music industry for dummies” dialogue, usually delivered with gusto by Dan Akroyd as Brown’s manager and we never really see why Brown’s music was so important on compositional level, beyond being exciting, or on the deeper level of communication with a black audience. We have Brown surrounded by school children chanting “I’m Black and I’m Proud” but a song like “I Dont Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door, Ill Get It Myself)” is a subtler message and in a sentence sums up the whole movie. It was songs like this that made Brown “The Black CNN” long before Public Enemy coined the term. Despite some flaws this is essential viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in popular music or James Brown. I want to end with a fine slice of Brown at his incendiary best... youtube/watch?v=dTJEu7Tngaw
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 17:00:01 +0000
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