Michael Jackson Thrills in “This Is It”
October 31, 2009 | Alicia Ostarello
Get close to MJ at "This Is It."
You know those annoying new previews they have before a feature film for live opera performances that look more cheesy than French onion soup and more boring than listening to your roommate tell you their dreams? I feel as though This Is It is what every one of live feeds should aspire to – a kick-ass, engaging, personable act that just happens to be marketed as a movie. This Is It has a lot of simmering, a lot booty, and one heck of a lot of Michael Jackson providing a completely thrilling show, although he is only rehearsing and not even attempting to provide a rock-star show.
It’s not as though I didn’t know who Michael Jackson was before watching “This Is It.” I first came in contact with him when I was eight years old at Disneyland, and my parents took me to see the 3-D Captain EO show. I turned to my mom and asked, “Who is that beautiful woman?” She patiently explained that the curly-haired lady was actually a man, and a very famous pop-star who was actually more admired than Mickey Mouse. I disagreed with her assessment, and said I wanted to be like the gorgeous Captain EO when I grew up. My poor mom. I never disliked Michael Jackson, but until I left the movie theater half an hour ago, I didn’t have an affinity for him either. Now though, I’m enamored.
When Michael Jackson, affectionately called “MJ” by his producer, is on screen and giving even a half-hearted effort on one of his songs, you cannot take your eyes off of him. The way he moves is compelling, the way he sings is entrancing, and the entire population of the movie theater I sat in resembled a group of little kids watching television for the first time–wide-eyed and in utter silence.
This Is It is backstage footage of a few rehearsals Michael Jackson and his posse held for what was to be his last concert series – 50 shows in London. And let me tell you, I would have paid a considerable amount of money to be at the show—the concert looks like it would be the best stage performance of the century. With an ever-rotating selection of intricate sets, choreography that snakes around the stage, video art that the live performers interact with ala The Rocky Horror Picture Show, live musicians that are urbanely hip and wicked good at their instruments and the use of open flames and fireworks onstage made for an exciting experience. I was dancing in my seat and mouthing the words of the songs, and I was in a movie theater, not a concert venue.
There is minimal speaking through the movie–MJ did not come across as anything resembling the most articulate of people, which is perhaps why the film focused almost entirely on music rather than on any sort of spoken words. Michael Jackson required subtitles to be understood, and what he had to say tended to be rather droll, though his dancers and musicians laughed no matter what came out of his mouth. In fact, that was one of the hardest things to endure through This Is It – Michael Jackson is treated as though he were a hot potato who might at any time explode into a hell-fire mashed potato, yet he is consistently calm, friendly, and saying “God bless you” when no one has sneezed.
I hate to use the word intimate, but being allowed what might as well have been front row seats to a Michael Jackson show was nothing short of wonderfully intimate. I felt as if I was one of his caterers who happened to get to stand in the wings as he rehearsed. The camera angles are close enough to see the amount of energy he is pouring into each movement, plus there is often multiple footage of the same song being rehearsed on different days, so you can see that his hard work is not just a one-time deal. He is a task-master every time.
If you’re looking for an exclusive behind the scenes look at the life of Michael Jackson, This Is It isn’t what the doctor ordered; however, if you ever thought that in your wildest dreams you might minutely enjoy a Michael Jackson concert—yes mom, this means someone like you–check out this limited engagement film. You get VIP seats to see the King of Pop doing what he does best–wowing a crowd, dancing like it’s 1989, and putting on a show that makes you want to get up and groove—all for the manageable price of your student discounted movie ticket.
I guess what really struck me about this movie is how alive MJ seemed. Seeing him larger than life, often hiding behind his sunglasses like a snail in his shell despite his vibrant dancing, made me forget that the only reason this movie came to be was because he’s no longer here.
we’ll never know what kind of a world-wide phenomena this MJ show might have become, but you make the rehearsal footage sound like something worth seeing in itself. Bonnie
Watched it today. Damn, those musicians and dancers were incredible. Reminds me of how fun it is to be making music. They must have been so disappointed that the shows were cancelled.
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Did you notice that he could sing his own songs in Spanish? That was pretty neat. He couldn’t seem to articulate many thoughts, nor did anyone really give him the chance to, but he knew his lyrics in another language!! Props for that.
I think the film benefits from being just what it was… behind the scenes rehearsal footage that was originally supposed to be cut in elements for a larger HBO Special that would have been shot over several nights with the audience in London. I think it incredible that they got so much of the show even shot and was with one of the execs the next morning after the shoot who said how on top of his game MJ was. Sadly by noon that day he was gone. Seeing This Is It only makes me wish more that I was there during the rehearsal. I was never really a Michael Jackson fan, but man what a body of artistic creation over his career. If you are in any way interested in the arts, its a really intimate look backstage and certainly worth the few bucks to see just for music history sake…