It’s a movie starring his nephew in the lead role, approved by his estate, and by all accounts it just feels like an attempt to whitewash him. This is a man who was accused of being a serial child molester, settled with a family out of court for $25 million just to avoid a trial (Chandler), and openly admitted he slept in the same bed as kids while he was an adult (Bashir interview), among other things. I don’t really see what there is to debate.
Anything pointing this out gets backlash on movie-related subreddits, which I find wild. It makes me wonder, if Epstein could sing and dance, would he have gotten a biopic too? Would people be defending him like this?
Michael is probably the hardest case of this too.
Its easy not to support, discuss or enable Kevin Spacey because while he was a brilliant actor in a few movies he wasnt irreplaceable. Michael on the other hand was likely one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He was a cultural phenomenon.
A lot of allegations and concerning behaviors absolutely but no convictions and a lot of people who knew him who defend him absolutely. A lot of potential substance abuse or mental health issues but also a lot of financial reasons why people may have alleged things that didnt happen…
Michael is a very grey case.
I don’t really know anything about Michael Jackson other than Thriller, Vitiligo, and the pedophilia debate. I have an easy time not engaging with his art.