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?
My son is a big cinephile, and we watch a LOT of movies, but I am also a history guy, so my son knows that I really don’t like biopics, or films that portray some historical event. Invariably, Hollywood decisions outweigh historical accuracy, and the result is usually impossible for me to tolerate. I would rather see a boring portrayal of the actual events, than an exciting rewrite.
MJ and I are the exact same age, and I grew up LOVING his music. The allegations were shocking, and I studied every interview and watched every documentary and news coverage of it that I could. Today, I can’t really say I trust either side. I see problems with the accusers, I see problems with the accused. Lawyers advise their clients to settle all the time - “It’s not personal, it’s just business.” I’ve been on the receiving end of that “advice,” and it’s hard to hear, because you know people will always see it as an admission of guilt, and not “just business.”
So while I abandoned Bill Cosby (another heartbreaker I grew up with) I’ve decided to keep listening to MJ. We will never know the entire story, but I know enough that the accusations have a LOT of problems, and I’m not willing to throw MJ aside for that.
So while I am still a big (but conflicted) fan, I probably won’t watch the film, and if I do, I won’t be taking it seriously.