Chadwick Boseman

Nelsan Ellis

Dan Aykroyd

Viola Davis

Lennie James

Fred Melamed

Jill Scott

Octavia Spencer

Nick Eversman

Tika Sumpter

James DuMont

Billy Slaughter

Ritchie Montgomery

Craig Robinson

Brandon Mychal Smith

Aloe Blacc

Josh Hopkins

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Tariq Trotter

Keith D. Robinson

Stacey Scowley

Liz Mikel

Julius Tennon

Allison Janney

John Benjamin Hickey

J.D. Evermore

Carol Lee

Cleta Elaine Ellington

Jim Gleason

Ahna O'Reilly

Antonius Charles

Donald Watkins

Corey Sorenson

Hunter Burke

Jamarion Scott

Jordan Scott

Rena DeAngelo

Aakomon Jones

George Quinones

Aaron Jay Rome

Atkins Estimond

Clyde Jones

Michael Papajohn

Denzel Reed

Phyllis Montana LeBlanc

Taura Cherne

Kirk Bovill

Cariella Smith

Jacinte Blankenship

Sandra DeNise

Sheldon Frett

Mario J. Radford

Joe T. Blankenship

Randy Smith

Alvin Edney II

Adrien Scott Robinson

Elliott June Rogers

Jamell Richardson

Jason Davis

Justin Hall

David Carzell

Dominic Thigpen

Matt Thompson

Aaron J. Brooks

John-Henry Butterworth

Jez Butterworth

Tate Taylor

Steven Baigelman

Danny Epper

Trish Hofmann

Michael McCusker

Victoria Pearman

Mick Jagger

John Norris

Kerry Barden

Paul Schnee

Peter Afterman

Brian Grazer

Erica Huggins

D. Stevens

Jason King

Will Arnot

Gary Trentham

Cate Hardman

Craig Dollinger

Sharen Davis

Scott Millan

Rickley W. Dumm

Daniel Saxlid

Robert L. Sephton

Budd Carr

Margaret Yen

Steven A. Morrow

Stephen Goldblatt

Mark Ricker

Thomas Newman

Anna Culp

Jesse Rosenthal

Curt Sobel

Jordan Corngold

Bill Bernstein

Robin Mulcahy Fisichella

Greg P. Russell

Colin J. Campbell

Chuck Picerni Jr.

Steven Ritzi

Lex D. Geddings

Tony Donno

Michael Endoso

Jeff Brockton

Tim Bell

William Scharpf

Mark Yawn

Carl Anthony Nespoli

Philip Fornah

Sean Paul Braud

Kevin C. Lang

Drama

Music

History

Get on Up

Jagged Films

Imagine Entertainment

Universal Pictures

United States of America

Chadwick Boseman is terrific, but <em>'Get on Up'</em> is missing something that would make it a great biopic.

I still very much enjoyed it, I always tend to find biographical films interesting - especially when I don't know too much about the person(s) in question, as is the case with James Brown here; I've always known of him and his major songs, but that's about it.

Boseman leads strongly, carrying the film really. That's not to say he's alone in terms of the onscreen talent, as there are others who I liked. Dan Aykroyd is solid, while Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis are welcomed cast members. The brilliant Lennie James is also involved, admittedly in a relatively small role.

With all that noted, I just felt there was something missing. I can't exactly pinpoint what that is. One of the things I felt from the start was the lack of likeability I had for the lead character, perhaps that was intentional though. The 'breaking the fourth wall' stuff is iffy, too.

The 139 run time probably comes into it as well, while the ageing for Boseman & Co. isn't the best I've seen - which isn't good, given the film opens with a scene that requires ageing so it naturally stuck in my memory more. As also mentioned at the top, I didn't come into this knowing all about James Brown and his music/life so that likely plays a part - though I've seen other biopics under similar circumstances and it hasn't affected my enjoyment.

There are still other positives, aside from the cast, of course. I actually liked the non-linear structure of how the story is told, while the cinematography is pleasant. The music is also worked in well.

All in all, it's a film that I would recommend. It had all the ingredients to be grander though.