Get On Up – 7.8

How did I miss this in 2014? I’m a sucker for any rock star biopic and James Brown is…well, James Brown. Forget Ma Rainey, Chadwick Boseman’s performance as the “hardest-working man in show business” is over-the-top Oscar-worthy. Somehow executive music producer Mick Jagger synced great performances of Brown’s best hits with Boseman’s electric acting. Throw in supporting roles by the likes of Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer and even a cameo from Allison Janney and this was a worthy follow-up to director Tate Taylor’s The Help. Given the sordidness of, especially,  Brown’s late years, the decision to present his life in impressionist anecdotal style, rather than as a dramatic arc, gave us a realistic picture while allowing us to appreciate the originality and power of James Brown’s music.