‘This Is It’: And that’s that
Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” elicited strongly conflicting emotions as I watched a screening this week.
On the one hand:
How can you not be captivated by this close-up immersion in Jackson’s astonishing talent – as a singer, a dancer, a creator of music that is part of our permanent soundtrack?
This patchwork version of his projected concert hints at what his farewell stand in London might have been like, had he lived. (And did anyone really believe that he would hang up the dancing shoes after this?)
It shows an artist whose work is forever embedded in the culture, an expressive singer with amazing range – and a dancer who seemed to invent new moves even when he was standing still. Watching him perform choreographed steps or improvise what seem like instantly invented styles of movement is an inexpressible feast for the eyes. It’s a shame that the cameramen, filming in both high-def and low-def for Jackson’s own consumption, weren’t shooting for real, though the footage is often dazzling and the sound is top-notch.
It also shows an artist seemingly near the peak of his powers and decidedly in his element. The impression is of a stops-out spectacle in the making, one that would survey his entire career while expanding upon it, conjured by someone fully convinced of his own ability to create magic by sheer will and imagination
On the other hand:
Watching “This Is It” reveals so much about Michael Jackson as a human being: his quiet perfectionism, performance eccentricities and signatures – and the fact that there appeared to be no one in his world – from the lowliest dancer to his partner in creating this show, Kenny Ortega (who gets directing credit for this film) – who was willing to say no to him about anything.
Obviously, Jackson was a genius who didn’t need people second-guessing his vision. On the other hand, the impression here is that his entourage and hangers-on had long ago crossed the line between support and sycophantism. There are several sequences in which the show’s dancers and crew, standing out in the arena of Los Angeles’ Staples Center (where these rehearsals took place), cheer, hoot and mimic Jackson’s solo moves on stage and otherwise adore his every molecule without reservation. The impression is that this sort of fawning was probably the rule in his life, rather than the exception.
But you only need to look at Jackson – his painfully sculpted face, his rail-thin physique, his insistence on hiding behind sunglasses – to register that he was a control freak with a lot of issues. On the other hand, there is nothing frail or imminently perishable about Jackson; he’s always been wraith-thin and he shows incredible energy – seemingly unflaggable – as he runs through the demanding song-and-dance sequences.
The film cobbles together rehearsal performances, pre-shot video that was being created for the stage show (like a new 3D version of “Thriller”) and behind-the-scenes moments of Jackson working with musicians, dancers and Ortega. Spectacle is perhaps too mild a word for what was in process; so is grandiose.
But the unbounded nature of Jackson’s imagination – particularly as it applies to dance – is fascinating to observe. The film splices together bits of several different rehearsal performances – which you know are different because of the various costumes (and even his everyday clothes, it seems, looked like costumes) he wears. The very opening number – “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” – knits together different rehearsal versions – and in each one, his dance moves change, evolve, explode.
Does it seem ghoulish or untoward to rush a product like this into theaters, so soon after Jackson’s death? I’ll leave that for others to judge. Ultimately, “This Is It” is as intimate a portrait of the working-artist version of Michael Jackson as you could hope.
Not that it ever gets beneath the surface – but that surface was so multi-faceted and exciting, at least in this context, that it makes this film impossible to ignore. You can’t watch it and not be mesmerized by his performance.
October 29th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
It’s 12 am and I just got back from watching This Is It.
There is only word that can sum up This Is It and that is the word, Epic.
A lot of people from parents, children, young adults and teens were in tears in the cinema. I did too. I can’t help it.
This Is It was just a rehearsal and that was already epic. I can’t imagine how grandeur the real thing could be.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Saw the film last night and loved it, so I’m in general agreement with this review. But “There are several sequences in which the show’s dancers and crew, standing out in the arena of Los Angeles’ Staples Center (where these rehearsals took place), cheer, hoot and mimic Jackson’s solo moves on stage and otherwise adore his every molecule without reservation. The impression is that this sort of fawning was probably the rule in his life, rather than the exception.”
Have to disagree. That wasn’t fawning. It was awestruck admiration. They were experiencing the unique Michael Jackson combination of lifelong effort and genius close-up, and sadly, never to be seen again. I would have given much to have been there.
October 30th, 2009 at 12:38 am
Have seen it twice will see it at least once more…
I think Ortega did a very good job: he wanted the fans to see what Michael was planning AND that he could have done it. But this doesn’t tell us what was in all those many many other hours that were shot. Maybe there only were say 10 hours with MJ rehearsing? which would give a certain context to what we do see. But what if there were 60 hrs of MJ, and this was the very best culled from that…
We just don’t really know. You do get the feeling that they were all wondering up until the very last couple of days whether MJ was really up to it. I saw the young dancers’ cheers and hoots as their contribution to helping to restore Michael’s confidence and commitment. I found it so consoling to think that he was surrounded by collaborators who would follow him anywhere, even sometimes over the top; collaborators who were there for him. We didn’t get to see the show, and Michael didn’t get to reconnect with his legions of fans, but the audience he did have for his last “performances” were as appreciative as you could have asked for, and were in a position to know, being very talented themselves. I thought the rehearsal for I just can’t stop loving you when Judith Hill’s glorious vocal traceries challenged MJ to come back with some of his own–and wasn’t he really smiling back at her!– was one of the high points of the movie. We know that Michael Jackson didn’t get his comeback, but when he finally fell asleep the morning of 6/25 we can hope that he was looking forward to his next rehearsal.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
I expected the worst. I was genuinely scared that this film would - like most other things in Michael’s life that he had no control over - be a disappointment. Yes, Michael doesn’t dance or sing full out, but he never has in previous rehearsals for other tours either. But to expect the film, or indeed the tour to be a return to the glory days of Bad or Dangerous is to expect too much - even from Michael. Michael was no cheap addict trying to get high, he was a sensitive man with serious physical difficulties and a wounded psyche, who was unable to sleep. I consider myself privileged to be privy to the inner workings of a Master - albeit a damaged one. The film is, of course, commercially viable, but it is also a labour of love with an abundance of heart. See the film, hate it if you want, but don’t blame Michael for not being who he used to be. Look to Tom Sneddon and those who tore his spirit to pieces for over 15 years for that. The damage you see is their handiwork - and what was done should never be forgotten.
Our loss, whether we know it or not - is incalculable.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I’ve seen the movie twice and it will be seen for years to come by me. Michael was a once-in-a-lifetime artist. If he was fawned, so be it. It had been a long time since he’d experienced the love from an audience he so deserved. He was born to do what he did. As a fan, we’ve had 25 years of Michael Jackson criticism and harrassment. I’m just not up to any more of it. I want to just sit back and enjoy Michael for a while since we now have the chance. Media…go away.