For once I'll write about something other than U2 and Twilight...Tonight I attended the posthumous Michael Jackson movie, This Is It. I was VERY surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The whole time I was watching it I was thinking, "Why didn't he release something like this while he was alive? Letting folks behind the curtain to the real man may have made some things turn out differently".
This movie is mostly about the dress rehearsals for his ill fated This Is It Tour. Alas MJ died 8 days before the tour could kick off. In these rehearsals it is fascinating to watch just how knowledgeable and precise Michael was. Yes, he was a musical genius. The effortless way he could bust out all those dance moves we grew up trying (in vain) to emulate, and the ease with which his lyrics flowed from his mouth. Since he was in rehearsal Michael repeatedly emphasized he was trying to "save his voice" so he wasn't putting a lot on it. Even at 1/2 speed and volume he was nevertheless very impressive. Most of all what impressed me about this is that Michael actually seemed "down to Earth" and just plain, well, "real".
I've been a fan (although I took about a 20 year break I must admit) since the Off the Wall album. "Down to Earth" Michael has not been really since that album...okay, he was in "pre weirdness stage" during the Thriller times and just jumped off the edge from Bad on...I really believe if he could have shown folks that he actually could be so not weird that maybe some things could have been different for him. Hindsight is 20/20, huh? If somebody had just checked Elvis, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman's wife and Marvin Gaye's dad into rehab or even just spoken honestly to them instead of killing them with "yes men", then maybe we would still be able to see what else they could have created...
Considering how rough it's been for Mike over the course of the last decade or so, I feel this small film is if nothing else a kind and fitting farewell to a man who despite many bumps in his road truly was a cultural icon for our time. Michael, you will be missed...
Denise Saxon
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