Five Takeaways From ‘Michael’: ‘You’re Either a Winner or a Loser’
The much-anticipated biopic opens in theaters nationwide on April 24.
Black News 
Early in the Michael biopic, Colman Domingo as patriarch Joe Jackson tells his sons, “In this life, you’re either a winner or a loser.” The senior Jackson’s mantra sets the stage for what’s to come as Michael Jackson begins his rise from precocious Jackson 5 frontman to solo global star.
Being released on April 24, the much-anticipated Michael is the first installment in a two-part biopic given that Jackson’s career is too expansive to encapsulate in one film. But part one — which runs a little over two hours — does spotlight the key highs and lows in chronicling Jackson’s ‘60s journey from Gary, Indiana and to Los Angeles and beyond.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael stars Jackson’s nephew (and brother Jermaine’s son) Jaafar Jackson (more about him below). In addition to the aforementioned Domingo, the film also features fellow co-stars Nia Long as mom Katherine Jackson and Miles Teller as Jackson’s attorney John Branca. But the main costar — no surprise — is the music. Over the film’s opening studio credits, you hear Jackson’s indelible “eee hee” riff. You’re hooked into what’s to come even before the film’s first visual appears.
Michael is a bountiful, generational musical feast. Day one Jackson 5 fans get to relive the group’s hard-won but meteoric ascension through songs and performances like “I Want You Back” and “ABC.” They will also re-experience young Michael’s extraordinary vocal skills on “Who’s Lovin’ You” and “Ben” while still with the Jackson 5.
Then as Jackson begins blueprinting his own unique style in the late ‘70s into the ‘80s, that next generation of fans (and beyond) get to relish again his classics such as “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Bad.” Exponentially adding to the experience are the film’s depictions of the group’s stage and TV performances and Jackson’s performances as a solo act. The IMAX surround sound optimization, especially in the latter case, makes you feel like you’re right there among the concert crowd.
Not wanting to give away too much more — viewers need experience this for themselves — here are five takeaways from Michael.
