Questlove reveals how the Michael Jackson biopic gave the King of Pop ‘his humanity back’ and forced him to take his critic hat off
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The Roots drummer and acclaimed filmmaker gave his thoughts on the film, which has split longtime fans and critics ahead of its April 24 release.
Like many devoted Michael Jackson fans, Questlove went into his screening of the new Jackson biopic “Michael” with a critic’s eye. Instead, The Roots drummer and acclaimed filmmaker came away with a different feeling after turning off the superfan side of his brain.
In a lengthy Instagram post hours after watching the film, Questlove reflected on what he saw on the screen, crediting Jaafar Jackson for channeling his late uncle and how Antoine Fuqua’s film offered him a perspective he might not have considered initially going into the theater.
“This project does the impossible: it strips away the spectacle and shows us the person. For the first time, we aren’t looking at the “THE KING”—we’re looking at a human being,” he wrote in his review on Monday (Apr. 20). “It’s a side of him a lot of us seemed to forget after 1984.”
He continued, “I’ll admit, as a diehard, I started out taking notes: “Wrong year,” “Song wasn’t out yet,” “He didn’t wear that jacket until…” But I eventually put my weapons down. Why? Because they captured the SOUL of it all & gave him back his humanity. If this is the final word on his legacy, showing his humanity was more important to me than any technical faux pas.”
Fans who’ve caught early previews have found themselves in debates online about the film. While influencers were among the first to share reviews of the movie, critics have given their thoughts, ranging from unfavorable to worse.
The film, which centers on Jackson’s career up to the “Bad” era in 1988, has undergone several reshoots, delays and debates on what the film should focus on, the totality of MJ’s life, the parts not covered in the 1992 miniseries “The Jacksons: An American Dream” and more.
Fans will continue the debate ahead of the film’s theatrical release on Friday, which Quest says he’ll be among those watching the movie “again and again.” The drummer emphasized his biggest takeaway from the film: leaning into your gifts.
“This film is a MASTERCLASS in how to channel a gift,” he wrote. “We’ve been fed the “Hard Work & Sacrifice” narrative for generations—the same one passed down from our ancestors and overseers. I’m ready to let that go because it’s not serving us anymore … we have to want a change now as bad as he wanted to give his gift to the world.”