I recently saw the movie bio of James Brown, “Get On Up.” I didn’t know much about him. I was never a follower of his music or could remember any of his performances that I liked. I was curious about him because I was certainly aware of his status and his apparent influence on many performers. I think the performance by Chadwick Boseman as Brown is outstanding, notwithstanding that I didn’t really know how well it represents how James Brown performed.
Brown had an a truly awful childhood and he had a lot to overcome to be a success. Even taking his childhood into consideration, he was a very strange and even violent personality. He had supreme confidence in his ability and future potential, which allowed him to rise above it all. He was not an admirable character and one does not develop an urge to root for his ultimate success. To the movies credit, it does not seem to hide the blemishes on his character. Unless you are a die-hard fan of his music, I would skip it. The portrayal of his character in the movie does not gain him the sympathetic support of the audience.
Being curious about what a real James Brown performance is like, I found a wonderful performance of him on Youtube of him singing with Luciano Pavarotti.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Febr_t_qa9U
