Get on Up (2014)

Directed by: Tate Taylor
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Get on Up” is a biopic drama focused on James Brown, considered the king of funky music and the godfather of soul. Tate Taylor, who achieved fame with his 2011’s hit “The Help”, directed the film according to the screenplay by the Butterworth brothers (“Fair Game”, “Edge of Tomorrow”). The structure goes back and forth in time, making us realize Brown’s difficult childhood, and understand from where all that strength and anger came from. I was aware of some facts presented – the travels to Vietnam to support American black troops, while other occurrences were completely new to me, like when James entered in a church and disturbed the peace with a shotgun, or when he was arrested for stealing a suit, meeting afterwards his musician friend Bobby Byrd for the first time. A few scenes made me doubtful, seeming too polished and sometimes fabricated for the sake of the film. Individualist, James Brown was always a controversial character that lived in tough times of discrimination against black people, but for me, what moved me more in “Get On Up” were the music, energy, and soul on stage, and not so much his private life. After having been praised for his performance as the baseball legendary star Jackie Robinson in “42”, Chadwick Boseman has here his second big role as main character, and he didn’t miss the opportunity to shine, being one of the best reasons for watching the film. Despite of its dynamism and rhythmic turbulence, I honestly expected much more from James Brown’s story.