‘Get On Up’ Misses The Mark

Jay Snook says “Once this film is over, you will have more questions than answers.”

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This is a film that had a lot of promise, but it sadly doesn’t do a good job telling the story of James Brown. Get On Up came out August 1st, and it is rated PG-13. It is not a good film for kids because of scenes of violence, adult themes, swearing and some drug use.

The film begins with James Brown as an old man. He is mad because people are on his property without his permission. He goes to the car, brings in a shotgun, and accidentally shoots a hole in the roof. He himself seems to be shocked this happened. The film then gives you a bit of a view into his childhood, how his mom was nice but his dad was always angry and didn’t seem to want to speak to his son much. One day his mom leaves, and she tries to take James with her, but his dad won’t allow it. With her gone, life for James got worse. His only joy was music, but this was not allowed in the house. After a while his dad enlists in the army, and James is left with Aunt Honey. This is a woman he doesn’t know that well, but life gets a bit better there. He goes to church one day and falls in love with the energy and the music.

When James gets a bit older, he goes to jail for a minor crime, and runs into a man named Larry Byrd. This man helps him get a temporary place to stay and begins his music career. They have a band called The Famous Flames, and they get to perform a few shows and even make a record. Years later James meets Ben Bart who becomes not only his manager but a dear friend. Ben believes in him and helps James become more famous than he ever thought possible. James breaks rules, barriers and creates a type of music not heard before, but that everyone loves to dance to. He gets married twice and has a children. He starts to make a lot of money and even goes to Vietnam to support the black troops there. But he has a lot of hard times too. How did he get through these trials and stay strong? Did he remain friends with Larry Byrd through these times? And did he ever see his mom or dad again?

Chadwick Boseman does a good job as James Brown. He has a good singing voice and does his best to bring this character to life. Whether in scenes when James was younger or older, he did a good job portraying just how influential this man was to music. Dan Aykroyd was made to play Ben Bart. He is someone who truly trusts and believes in everything James Brown is doing, and he is one of his best friends. When things seem tough, he is always there to help James get through it. I really liked Nelsan Ellis in this movie, he was wonderful as Bobby Byrd. I had no idea he could sing, let alone that he sang quite well. He is one of James’ closest and oldest friends in this movie, and he brings so much depth of character and truth to each scene he is in. There is not one scene where his emotions and actions felt fake or forced.

I did have a few problems with this film though. I was upset that by the end of the film I was more confused than I was when it began. There were so many unanswered questions for me. When his band the Famous Flames all left, how did he end up playing with them years later? I also really didn’t like the editing. The way it jumped from James as a kid, to James as a teenager and many times back to either a young or old man was confusing. Many of these scenes appeared random to me and I couldn’t grasp why it was done this way. Some of the transitions I understood, like his mom leaving and then James living with his Aunt, but others made no sense at all. There were scenes where James is a man, and then it jumped to him being a kid for little to no reason. I wish this film had flowed better from scene to see with a clearer beginning, middle and end. It would have made the film better and more enjoyable for me. Instead, I left disappointed that so much of his life story had been left out.

If you are a fan of James Brown, you should go see this film. If you want to see a movie with some good music, this may be the film for you. But personally, this is a film that you should not rush to see, it is better to wait until it comes out on video.