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Happy Saturday, all.
This weekend, the big movie is “Michael,” the Michael Jackson biopic. We reviewed it here, and have discovered just how polarizing a figure Jackson remains nearly 17 years after his death. Interacting with viewers (as well as the many, many new people who have shown up in the comment section to tell us how wrong we are), it’s clear that the once universally adored King of Pop has become a Rorschach test. Either you still worship him because his music is an essential part of the fabric of your life, or you believe the allegations about his interactions with children and can’t listen to his songs anymore. As is true with so many topics in modern society, there is no middle ground.
Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, gives an impressive, technically precise performance, and clearly worked very hard to perfect the pop icon’s dance moves and speaking voice. But director Antoine Fuqua’s film, from a screenplay by veteran writer John Logan, is singularly celebratory and frustratingly superficial as it hits all the music biopic tropes you’d expect. It’s like “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” never existed. And because “Michael” ends on a triumphant note in 1988 — with a title card that reads: “His Story Continues,” the ultimate understatement — it doesn’t even come close to addressing the erratic behavior and scandals of his later years. This extremely thorough Variety story explains why that is; supposedly a second film is in the works to cover the decades leading up to his 2009 death. I also highly recommend reading this candid Hollywood Reporter interview with the director of “Leaving Neverland,” the harrowing 2019 documentary that explored the child sexual abuse accusations against Jackson.
Again, nothing that any critic writes or says about this movie matters. People see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe. “Michael” is currently at 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it has a 97% audience score. It’s expected to make nearly $90 million this weekend, easily the biggest opening ever for a music biopic. So if you want to go and just enjoy the music for two hours — and there is a lot of it, because the Jackson estate has signed off on this portrayal — that experience is there for you. And if you do, I’m curious to hear your thoughts.
Other movies do exist, though. We reviewed several of them on our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel and podcast. Take us with you as you’re running around this weekend. We’re good company, I promise.
OVER YOUR DEAD BODY. People keep trying to kill Samara Weaving. This time it’s Jason Segel. The star of the “Ready or Not” movies and the longtime comedian play an unhappily married couple who head off to a cabin in the woods with plans to murder each other. This is a remake of the Norwegian film “The Trip” from 2021. It gets less interesting as it goes along. In theaters.
I SWEAR. Robert Aramayo was the surprise winner of best actor at the BAFTA awards this year for his portrayal of John Davidson, a Scottish man with Tourette syndrome. It’s a technically complex performance in an otherwise predictable film. Still, if you’re looking for humor and heartwarming uplift, writer-director Kirk Jones’ film provides them. In theaters.
THE CHRISTOPHERS. Steven Soderbergh’s latest came out while I was skiing, and I’m so glad we caught up with it. Michaela Coel plays a London art restorer who’s hired to complete a series of canvases from an aging, cantankerous painter (Ian McKellen) without him knowing. I loved the chemistry between the two leads. This may end up on my top-10 list. In theaters.
MOVIE NEWS LIVE! Besides “Michael,” we discussed so much this week, including early footage of “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” casting on Alex Garland’s “Elden Ring” movie, the “Miami Vice” reboot with Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler, and The Onion taking over InfoWars (with Tim Heidecker as creative director). We’re not doing news next Friday in solidarity with a California labor strike, but come back and join us on May 8.
I also had the pleasure of appearing on both radio shows I do to discuss these movies and many others: Press Play on KCRW with the brilliant Tim Grierson, and FilmWeek on LAist with the insightful Beandrea July. Listen in and share your thoughts.
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Over at our Patreon, we’ve begun recapping “Margo’s Got Money Troubles.” The always excellent Elle Fanning stars as a promising college student who gets pregnant from an affair with her married professor. When she decides to keep the baby, she loses her job and is forced to drop out of school. Desperate for cash, this clever young woman turns to OnlyFans. We’re loving the tone, which is both playful and grounded, and the terrific supporting cast includes Nick Offerman and Michelle Pfeiffer (whose husband, David E. Kelley, is the series creator).
New episodes of “Margos’s Got Money Troubles” come out on Apple TV on Wednesdays, and we’ll do recaps on the following Tuesdays (because Fridays are already crowded with “The Testaments” and “Daredevil: Born Again”). Plus, we’ll start recapping “Spider-Noir,” starring Nicolas Cage, at the end of May. So if you’re not already a member of our Patreon, now is a great time to join us.
That’ll do it for me this week. But first, a quick reminder: If you’re a member of our Patreon at the Lunch Date level, our next meet-up is on Monday at Noon Pacific. You should have received the link in your messages. And if you’re interested in joining our monthly live chats, you can find out more at the Membership tab. It’s a good group!
I say it all the time, but it’s true: I’m so grateful for all you contribute to this community. If you’ve enjoyed my Saturday Matinee newsletter, I hope you’ll share it with someone else. And if someone has shared it with you, I hope you’ll consider subscribing. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.
