Get On Up

Music in all genres are important for all of us. Music can make our day better, help us feel inspired to reach for a dream. Music can even make an ordinary day feel special, worth celebrating. No matter what kind of music you are into, or what genre, music is important. Personally i can´t live without music, i both listen to classic artists but also try and listen to new bands, when ever i find something interesting. Speaking of classics, you must have heard James Brown on radio, or maybe on tv ? An icon in soul music, who still today is an inspiration for many musicians and bands. There are so many songs that people love, of course we should mention I Feel Good, and This Is A Mans World. He is known as The Godfather Of Soul. I can´t really say i have listened a lot to him in my youth, or even now when i am closing 40 years old. But the truth is that he had a voice, and a style, that inspired many people. When he died in 2006, musicians and fans told the world exactly how they felt. There will never be anyone like James Brown, simple as that. So here we are, with a motion picture based on the true life of The Godfather Of Soul. In the lead role, we see actor Chadwick Boseman as James Brown, maybe most known for his performance in the baseball drama 42. It has taken some time to make this film to be made, but managed to do so thanks to producer Mick Jagger ( Yes, the lead singer of The Rolling Stones ). I heard an interview with him, where he said it did take some time before they could get the rights for the music. Director Tate Taylor directed the Award winnning drama film The Help in 2011, that got both critics cheering and the audience. With a respected director, and with actor Cadwick Boseman as James Brown, is this combination exactly what we were hoping for, or could we have had something better than this ?

As a little boy, James Brown ( Jordan Scott ) grew up very poor, and was abused by his father Joseph Gordon Brown ( Lennie James ). His mother Susie Brown ( Viola Davis ), left their home, and did not come back. One day, as he hears music from a church, he goes inside and listen to gospel. He finds himself hooked up on the music.  At the age of 17, James steals a suit and end up in prison. James try to adjust as good as he can inside prison, and one day he hears a group of singers performing in prison. It ends with an riot, where both James Brown ( Chadwick Boseman ) and Bobby Byrd ( Elsan Ellis ) get injured. Years go by, and James meet up with Bobby again, to join his Gospel group. They name themselves The Flaming Lips, and start to get recognized for their music style. The Flaming Lips are signed to the record label King Records, as they release their first single Please, Please, Please in 1956. King Records executive Syd Nathan ( Fred Melamed ) mocks the song, but he can tell that there is something special about James Brown. The Flaming Lips continue releaseing singles, and popularity is growing high. Ben Bart ( Dan Aykroyd ) becomes James new manager , but when the band name Changes to James Brown and his Famous Flames, all the band members except for Bobby quits. James is not going down with this, so he reform the band with new members. James keep on making more hit singles over the years, but his personal life is filled with problems, as he divorce his first wife Welma Brown ( Phyllis Montana LeBlanc ). He finds a new wife, DeeDee Brown ( Jill Scott ). Hapiness does not long very long, until James begin to abuse his wife, and having personal issues. He have to keep his image look good, and still tries to hide his problems. As the years go by, James turn into is own solo act, trying to survive a world that is changing musically.

To become a music legend like James Brown, is not easy at all. You have to move like James did, you have to have the body language that only he had. Lead actor Chadwick Boseman does a really good performance as James Brown, he really worked hard to make this look like he is James. The most interesting pieces of this film, is to see the completely different side of James Brown, in his personal life. He had a very strong personality, and you can tell that he would not let anything stop him from reaching his destination. You also get to see parts of his childhood, and you understand that he did not have much at all. So to become this famous, coming from a poor family, must have been magical. Get On Up may not take on everything in James fascinating life, but we do get to know a lot what happened in his glory days. Director Tate Taylor, have tried to put the pieces together, and give us an image of who The Godfather Of Soul was. You do get to laugh also sometimes, like when James hear that he should play at the same gig as The Rolling Stones. He makes fun of them, wondering what is so special about this british band ? There are times when you can see that James had a lot of personal problems in his career. Is it that strange ? I can´t even imagine how it would be living in his shoes, becoming such a superstar, coming from a home with nothing. The story of James Brown is amazing in many ways, and can give inspiration to another generations of musicians and singers to follow their dreams. Get On Up is a well made biographical drama film , that shows you a different perspective of this legendary artist. Since this is almost an 2 hours and 20 minutes long film, there are a few moments where some scenes get drawn out. For some reason we jump between the years quite often, when i would have wanted more details on certain musical years, while he was going less popular. Otherwise i can´t complain, if you love classic soul music, and a well made biogrophical film with great acting, this should be something in your taste. I would love to try and do the James Brown split right now, question is......will my nuts be ok ? I think its best to leave this idea, besides, i always sing Don Johnson hits in the shower anyway.

Rating: DDD