Get on Up

PG-13

8/1/20142h 19m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ The Funk Don't Quit ~

Overview:

A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.

Director:

Tate Taylor

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$30,000,000.00

Revenue:

$33,448,971.00

Key words:

vietnam war
1970s
biography
south carolina
singer
breaking the fourth wall
domestic violence
songwriter
1980s
1950s
soul music
non linear
african american entertainer

Cast

Chadwick Boseman

~ as ~

James Brown

Nelsan Ellis

~ as ~

Bobby Byrd

Dan Aykroyd

~ as ~

Ben Bart

Viola Davis

~ as ~

Susie Brown

Lennie James

~ as ~

Joe Brown

Fred Melamed

~ as ~

Syd Nathan

Jill Scott

~ as ~

DeeDee Brown

Octavia Spencer

~ as ~

Aunt Honey

Nick Eversman

~ as ~

Mick Jagger

Tika Sumpter

~ as ~

Yvonne Fair

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

r96sk
Written 4 year(s) ago
7
Chadwick Boseman is terrific, but 'Get on Up' is missing something that would make it a great biopic.

I still very much enjoyed it, I always tend to find biographical films interesting - especially when I don't know too much about the person(s) in question, as is the case with James Brown here; I've always known of him and his major songs, but that's about it.

Boseman leads strongly, carrying the film really. That's not to say he's alone in terms of the onscreen talent, as there are others who I liked. Dan Aykroyd is solid, while Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis are welcomed cast members. The brilliant Lennie James is also involved, admittedly in a relatively small role.

With all that noted, I just felt there was something missing. I can't exactly pinpoint what that is. One of the things I felt from the start was the lack of likeability I had for the lead character, perhaps that was intentional though. The 'breaking the fourth wall' stuff is iffy, too.

The 139 run time probably comes into it as well, while the ageing for Boseman & Co. isn't the best I've seen - which isn't good, given the film opens with a scene that requires ageing so it naturally stuck in my memory more. As also mentioned at the top, I didn't come into this knowing all about James Brown and his music/life so that likely plays a part - though I've seen other biopics under similar circumstances and it hasn't affected my enjoyment.

There are still other positives, aside from the cast, of course. I actually liked the non-linear structure of how the story is told, while the cinematography is pleasant. The music is also worked in well.

All in all, it's a film that I would recommend. It had all the ingredients to be grander though.