Review: This is It

A look at Michael Jackson, the King of Pop as he prepares and rehearses for his upcoming series of concerts in England, intended to be his last-ever. They sadly never even eventuated, as Jackson died at age 50 before the concerts could actually go ahead. This film uses footage originally intended for private purposes, but in light of the star’s death, it was decided to chop the hundreds of hours of footage into a 110 odd minute cinematic tribute, a last look at the King before he bowed out in untimely fashion, for good.

This much hyped 2009 Kenny Ortega (best known for “High School Musical”) film kinda pissed me off with its very existence and rushed release after the death of the King of Pop, let alone getting a theatrical release. Let’s face it, if MJ hadn’t died, I doubt this would’ve made it to anything other than our TV screens. MJ’s death + this movie= KA-CHING!!!! Yes, it probably was done for ‘the fans’, but those fans would also pay lots of money to see it. If you can get past that (and if you can’t, why are you even reading this?), it provides an interesting, entertaining, and admittedly scandal-free view of a very scandal-ridden pop culture icon. I definitely had my reservations going in, but before long I was just glued to the screen watching this consummate professional’s last magical moments, ‘dummy run’ or not.

It will not tell you anything directly about MJ’s sudden death at 50, but I gotta say, after watching this workaholic for 110 odd minutes, I definitely have my theory on what happened. He basically only took enough care of himself so as to be able to keep going as a performer (I believe due to his lack of a ‘normal’ childhood, the career became everything he was to be), and after a while, all the drugs etc., they’re gonna stop working after a point, and I guess that’s what happened with Jacko. His body gave out, ironically for the wannabe “Peter Pan”, at the bridge between middle age and old age. Pure speculation of course, on my part, but I figured I better get this thought out of the way (mostly) early on so one can move on to some of the other important stuff in this doco.

This isn’t Jacko the Freak Show, it’s not even really Michael Jackson the Man as such, but it’s Michael Jackson the artist and performer, and the ultimate showman. And since this is Michael Jackson, one of the biggest if not the biggest and most influential pop icons of all-time, it makes this even more interesting than most behind-the-scenes concert docos. I mean, no one put on shows like Jacko (even his video clips were epic!), so there’s a definite added interest. We get to see how he worked, what went into preparing for his shows, how he co-existed with his crew and other musicians. This isn’t all that revelatory, but it’s about as revelatory as it gets with the real Michael Jackson, unless you consider the tabloid side to be the true gospel. On evidence here, MJ wasn’t a walking freak show or giggly, creepy man-child. He was a deeply focused and intelligent artist (who clearly knew what he wanted and, importantly, was right about it, most of the time), someone protective of his voice before shows (he gets a little mad- politely of course- when being coerced into singing in ‘full voice’ at one point...but does it anyway), surprisingly gifted in human relations (he always manages to follow criticisms or orders with the passive ‘with love’, as though he doesn’t want to offend anyone with his perfectionism), and above all else, the man had magic legs. You could argue that all of this gives you a depiction of Jackson as a man, but really it’s just one side to him- the business side. Still, everyone who worked with him in preparation for these last shows really seems to love and respect the guy, and y’know what? So did I, after watching this. I was already a fan of his music of course, and his skills as a dancer and choreographer- the clip for “Smooth Criminal” still stands as the greatest music clip of all-time in my view. The film isn’t exactly a concert though, so if you’re looking for full-length song performances with all the choreography perfected and pyrotechnics included, you’re in for a major disappointment, and I for one was a little less entertained by what we got (a rehearsal, basically) than I might otherwise have been (not that I’m a huge fan of ‘concert movies, Scorsese’s “Shine a Light” is a splendiferous exception and the benchmark). The guy died, and this is what we get, so there’s no use bitching about what this isn’t. Besides, it’s still an interesting film, and we do get much more music than I had expected once I realised this wouldn’t be a full-on concert film. I was especially happy to hear the lovely ballad/duet “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, off the underrated “Bad” album, which I hadn’t heard in ages. It’s for me, the only ballad of MJ’s that doesn’t get too gooey and girly. Even the rat love theme “Ben”, a favourite of mine, can’t claim that. I even found his overly indulgent, sickeningly sappy new video vignette for “Earth Song” to be interesting at the very least, albeit in a ‘so bad it’s good’ kinda way. Anyone who has seen the ghastly full-length clip for The Jacksons’ excellent “Can You Feel It”, will have some idea what to expect here. Mind you, Jackson has released much worse songs over the years; “Scream”- his ridiculously overproduced duet with Janet, the creepy “You Are Not Alone” from the Michael and Lisa Marie experiment, “Say Say Say”, a duet with Paul McCartney where Jacko’s the only good thing, to name but a few.

The other thing you’ll notice about this film, especially if you’re looking for signs of ill-health, is that Jackson actually looks to be in pretty damn good shape, rather shocking given the events soon to unfold. There’s no signs of that barely functioning, drug-assisted guy I alluded to upfront, so any such talk- inevitable as it is- is pure speculation. Hell, he even comes across as quite youthful at times, poor Ortega had a bit of a challenge at one point trying to get MJ to stop horsing around on a cherry picker to be used in the concerts. Mostly Ortega just follows the artist’s instructions, wise move given he was clearly the King of Pop for a reason. Oh, and the best thing about this film isn’t even Michael or his music. It’s Aussie guitarist Orianthi. This young, cute rock chick, Jacko’s lead guitarist chosen for the ill-fated tour, is a bonafide superstar who steals her every moment on-screen. She’s just plain cool, especially on (the slightly overrated) “Black or White”, where she shreds immaculately. I kinda wish the Jacko/Slash duet “Give in to Me” was part of the set list, just to hear Orianthi kick arse on that, but much as I think it’s one of Jackson’s best, it’s a view shared by few if any, and I don’t think he played it live terribly often. Jacko, seemingly very gracious and appreciative, tries to give the young axe-wielder (Jacko seemed to have a thing for wild-haired female guitarists, if you’ve followed his career since say, the late 80s) her own moment to shine, and shine she does.

In fairness, the film isn’t perfect- the gushing interviews with people who worked with Jacko in preparation for this aborted tour are unnecessary and uninteresting, but a minor flaw really. Also, it has to be said that the new single of this film’s title is as forgettable as most of the songs Jackson came out with towards the end of his career. Post-“History” (not a great album itself) the only Jacko songs I’ve liked have been “Give in to Me” and “Blood on the Dance Floor”. This film might be biased in favour of Jackson, but after all the scandals and what not, it’s nice to get this little counter to all of that largely speculative stuff. He was not just a freak show who allegedly altered his face to look like Disney’s “Peter Pan”. He was also a loving father, a beloved son and brother, and one of the greatest musical performers of All. Frigging. Time. He will be missed, but at least we still have his musical legacy, something which isn’t just speculation. His musical genius was 100% proven fact as documented here, even though its somewhat rough form and personal nature might’ve actually displeased Jackson himself had he lived long enough to see it, ironically. But that’s what’s so great about it...we get a glimpse at what was beyond the facade and the sometimes freaky public image.

Rating: B-