User Reviews

This film is the best film ever. It has touched me so much. Jermaine Jackson did really well producing this film and may god bless u. Michael should watch this. All the 3 people that played as Michael did an excellent job. Love u guys. The person that played the older Michael was called Wylie Draper. Sadly Wylie died a year after they did the film May he rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers go to his family, and my love too. Wylie was the best, He acted as Michael as if he was really Michael. He did a good job on the moonwalk. He looked very cute and did a good job. My luck also goes out to all the other cast especially to Floyd who played as little Marlon. He was so cute. The boy who played little Michael was Alex. The person who played the second Michael was Jason. He was so so so good. Well done u guys. Well done Wylie. Never forget u. People that this film was poor should thing again because it's the best film ever. Wylie was the star. He did really well and i love him for that. The 2nd star would have to be jason weaver.

This was one of those biopics that has you in awe by how good it is. The Jacksons were one of my fave bands when I was younger and I caught this TV movie on true movies the other night. Wow I had no idea it was going to be so good. After watching this I can understand why Michael is the way he is now. He had absolutely no childhood mind you he did ask his dad if he could be part of the Jackson when he was a kid so he kind of cause what happened with all the fame and the fans. This follows The Jacksons right from when they were born up to when they became superstars and even Michael's solo career with Thriller. The acting is superb with star performances by Angela Bassett as Katherine Jackson the mother of the Jackson 5. Just like Tina, Angela Bassett shines as Katherine, her emotions and her strong character comes through on the screen. Lawrence Hilton Jacobs does a great job as Joseph Jackson the father who did push his kids too far for the sake of fame, fortune and glory but eventually you get to like him towards the end of the film. Terrence Howard also makes a very early debut as an older Jackie Jackson but kudos should go to Wylie Draper who gives an amazing portrayal as Michael. I mean he had him down to a tee. He spoke like Michael, he danced like Michael and yes even sung like him. Michael Jackson only gave his voice to only nine of the songs in this film. The song list that is in this that Michael actually sings in this are: I want you back, ABC, I'll be there, Rockin' Robin, Dancing machine, I want to be where you are, Human Nature, Billie Jean, and Beat it. All the rest were done by the cast who played the Jacksons in the movie. I was totally blown away as they did such a good job with the numbers that they genuinely only performed. The choreography was spot on, mind you they did have Michael's own personal choreographer Michael Peters helping with the steps in this and thank god he did cause made a simple teenage actor into the best portrayal of Michael that i have ever seen. I'm so sorry that I find out that Wylie died the year after this was made, my sympathy goes out his family.

The only thing I didn't like about this film was that they totally missed a massive chunk in the film. The chunk I'm talking about was that the period between when Michael becomes a solo artist. You don't see him do Don't stop until you get enough, Ben, one day in your life and even the Off the Wall album. The off the wall album was only spoke about briefly in this film and that was it. It also missed out the other great hits that Michael performed with his brothers like Blame it on the Boogie and Can you feel it. it completely missed out all those and went straight to Michael recording the THRILLER album. Although they did manage to include the horrific Pepsi incident where Michael got severely burnt but I'm glad to see the ending was electric with Michael singing a number that I have never heard before with his brothers. I really loved how it finished with a personal message from the Jacksons to all us fans. It was done by the actors but you could tell that the message was really from the real Jacksons which thanks us for the years that we were loyal fans throughout the years that they were recording. I'm so glad that this finally came out on DVD as I intend to buy it. If you love the Jacksons music or just Michael's you have got to see this film. It's so great it's dangerous. :)

I love Michael Jackson and his brothers. I love their music and they are a great influence. All the actors in this movie were great. I loved Jason Weaver and Wylie Draper. They were the ones that really shined. Rest in Peace to Wylie. The one who played Jermaine (Colin Steele) kinda over-reacted on some scenes. But he's adorable. Terrence Howard made a great impression on Jackie. And the guy who played Marlon did a good job. Angela Basset was okay, it wasn't her best roles but she did okay. Lawerence-Hilton Jacobs was outstanding! He is just like Joe Jackson. This is a good movie. I can't wait to see it again. Wylie Draper is really sexy. But I suggest that Susanne De Passe should get her facts straight on a couple of things. Some of the facts were inaccurate. If you are going to make a movie you have to have the RIGHT data or else it's useless.

Everyone else is in this movie (save for Wylie Draper) were either miscast or dead weight in this 5-hour snoozefest. For starters, most of the actors bore no resemblance, physically or characteristically, to the actual people. Also, the inaccuracies in this movie are mind-spinning, considering that it was produced by Suzanne DePasse and Jermaine and Margaret Jackson. It begs to ask the question: what is the point of making a biographical movie if it is not accurate or even true?

1. The discovery of Joseph's infidelity towards the end is laughable, as it implies that this was an isolated event. It's common knowledge that Joseph has never been faithful to Katherine, even before they married. The fact that he had a daughter out of wedlock with a Jackson 5 fan in 1974 was also omitted from the movie. Katherine filed for divorce shortly thereafter, but later reconciled.

2. Michael's birth date is shown as having been born in 1959. He was born in 1958.

3. Marlon was a twin. His twin brother having died shortly after birth was never mentioned.

4. The Jackson 5 did not record "Kansas City" for Steeltown Records. Their Steeltown single was an original called "Big Boy."

5. Berry Gordy was not present during the Jacksons audition for Motown, as depicted in the movie. The audition was recorded on video and later mailed to Berry Gordy.

6. Most of the choreography was nowhere near the actual dance routines performed by the Jackson 5, which was part of what made them so popular in their heyday. Also, the movie did not include many of the Jackson 5's songs, including their #1 hit "The Love You Save." Jacksonmania was really downplayed in the movie, giving only one reenactment of the boys being chased off the stage by crazed fans. In reality, Jackson 5 fans were such menaces that the riot shown in the movie would have been considered a good day in real life.

7. In the movie, it is depicted that the rumor of Diana Ross having discovered the Jackson 5 was unintentionally started by a slip of the tongue on "The Hollywood Palace." This, of course, is far from the truth. Motown purposely linked the two acts together, and the Jacksons were quoted many times during this time period as having said that they were discovered by Ross. In fact, the first J5 Motown album was entitled "Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5."

8. The Jackson 5 had numerous television appearances, including their famous stints on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "American Bandstand." They also had a Saturday morning cartoon - the first black animated series ever - and their own television specials ("Diana!" "Goin' Back To Indiana") and variety shows. None of these landmark TV appearances were included in the movie.

9. The romance between Jermaine and Hazel was highly fabricated. It has been revealed that Jermaine was a womanizer, even as a teenager, and was sleeping regularly with groupies. Many wedding guests later described the event as more of a business merger than a ceremony of love.

10. This movie did an unforgivable disservice to Randy Jackson. First of all, he did not replace Jermaine in the Jackson 5. Randy joined the group in 1972 at the age of 11 as a conga drummer, and the group toured with him unofficially as The Jackson Five Plus One. When Jermaine did leave the group in 1975, Randy was only 14-years-old. However, the actor playing him looked about 30. At 18, Randy nearly lost his life in a car wreck and was told that he would never walk again. He was back on stage with his brothers after only 6 months. This incredible story was never mentioned, however, Michael's hair going up in flame was depicted as a life-threatening accident.

11. The film made no mention of any of the other siblings' solo careers, even though Maureen (Rebbie), Jackie, Tito, LaToya, Jermaine, and Janet had all released solo albums by 1984. There was also never any mention of the hidden scandals concerning the family long before Michael's run-ins with fouled plastic surgery, Neverland, Emmanuel Lewis, Macauley Culkin, and his child molestation circus. In 1980, the Jackson family settled with Joe Jackson's ex-secretary Gina Sprague, who suffered injuries after being assaulted by Katherine, Randy, and Janet Jackson, because they believed she was having an affair with Joseph.

12. The infamous Pepsi commercial in which Michael went boom was not his father's idea. That was set up by Don King (the boxing promoter), whom the family had hired to promote the Victory Tour. It seems that Joseph was picked to be the villain of the movie, and to portray Michael's injuries as his fault was just another way to demonize the man.

And there are many more. All in all, this movie is a boring waste of time and shows that shady families should not make movies about their own lives. This film only provided Jason Weaver and the late Wylie Draper a means to showcase their acting, dancing, and (Weaver) singing talents. Everyone else was rather horrible, which is sad considering all the big names in this movie.

I recently watched this series on DVD, having never seen it before on television or VHS. I loved it--enjoyed it like a long book that I never wanted to end. Complaints by Jackson aficionados about the inaccuracies are ultimately unimportant; what counts is the movie's watch-ability, entertainment factor, and its point about just how this family became a household word all over the planet.

This movie is about Joe Jackson and his family and also Michael's rising star. While we often in the black community bemoan the absence of parental supervision, we see that the Jackson children always had their parents in the picture. Joe Jackson never abandoned his family or familial responsibilities. He married Katharine when she became pregnant, sacrificed his dreams and worked in steel mills to support an unusually large brood of kids. He had 10 people depending on him.

The film depicts him as proud of his kids and he developed their talent over the years preparing them for the opportunities that came their way. Say what you will, but without his faith and extreme discipline, those kids might still be in Gary. I think as adults they all realize that, even though they bemoan their loss of childhood, Joe's brutal discipline, etc. To make it in the entertainment business, to be a success at anything, you must possess an insane drive that blinds you to all distractions. You must have staying power, the ability to hang in when all seems bleak. Joe provided that.

If the real Jackson story, preserving all accuracies and details about each one of the children, is ever filmed, it would probably take 16 hours!!! To do it in 4, you have to resort to devices that advance the story, and for this first attempt that is forgivable. I loved the story of Katharine and Joe; it provided a real sense of the times & their personalities. The various Michaels were great, especially Jason Weaver as middle Michael. See him sing Kansas City and perform Twist and Shout at the Apollo. Bumper as Jackie was absolutely cute. Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Joe Jackson gives him dimension--family man, proud father, brutal taskmaster, music lover. How would you feel if you lost control over the act you'd created for so long--hard transition. Billy Dee is way too charming and sexy for Gordy--but I loved it anyway.

The flick compares well to all the good musical biopics out there--Ray, Walk the Line, What's Love Got to Do with It?, Selena, etc.

Spoilers Ahead!

This was a great movie about the Jackson family. However, LaToya and Janet were rarely seen in the movie. And they made no mention about Rebbie after she got married. There was a lot of things missing. There was no mention of Joe Jackson's illegitimate daughter or Marlon's twin brother who died. There were also a few historical inaccuracies. Joe was only one year older than Katherine, but he is portrayed as being much much older. Michael Jackson's hair caught on fire after he did the Motown 25th anniversary special. If you read Latoya and Michael's autobiographies, you will see that this movie was realistic. This movie is still a must see movie for any Jackson fan.