{"id":606226,"date":"2026-04-25T20:29:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T20:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/606226\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T20:29:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T20:29:09","slug":"biopics-double-standard-jaafar-jackson-michael-and-oscar-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/606226\/","title":{"rendered":"Biopics Double Standard? Jaafar Jackson, ‘Michael’ and Oscar Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe verdict on \u201cMichael<\/a>\u201d is in, and it is blunt.<\/p>\n

\n\tA 38% Rotten Tomatoes score has landed with a familiar critique: The film avoids the most controversial chapters of Michael Jackson\u2019s life. But with a projected $85 million or more global opening, the film has secured its place in the cultural zeitgeist, and the harsh reviews it suffered won\u2019t doom its awards prospects.<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite the critical lashing, the audience score has been propped up by faithful fans and is sitting at 96%. It\u2019s worth going over some recent awards history to contextualize those numbers. Adam McKay\u2019s allegorical satire \u201cDon\u2019t Look Up\u201d (2021) was deemed rotten by critics, with a 55% Tomatometer, but earned an audience score of 78%. The film went on to land four Oscar nominations, including best picture and original screenplay. The Academy has nominated other movies with low critical consensus for best picture, including \u201cExtremely Loud & Incredibly Close\u201d (2011).<\/p>\n

\n\tThat type of disparity goes both ways. Rian Johnson\u2019s \u201cStar Wars: The Last Jedi\u201d (2017) landed an impressive 91% critics\u2019 score but sits at a measly 42% audience score. But Rotten Tomatoes scores are averaged from professional film critics, while Academy voters are film professionals \u2014 two disparate groups. The two are often out of sync, and over a long enough timeframe, the Academy remembers what critics dismiss, and vice versa.<\/p>\n

\n\tOwen Gleiberman, Variety\u2019s chief film critic, was positive on the film, writing<\/a>: \u201cJaafar Jackson<\/a> gets Michael\u2019s tentative high sugary voice just right, but he also shows us how that famous personality evolves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBy many critics\u2019 standards, modern music biopics just aren\u2019t holding up, but \u201cMichael\u201d isn\u2019t an outlier.<\/p>\n

\n\tBaz Luhrmann\u2019s 2022 music biopic \u201cElvis\u201d sidestepped one of the most uncomfortable truths of its subject\u2019s personal life. Elvis Presley, then 24, met a then-14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu and began dating her when she was 17. That film still made its way to eight Oscar nominations and didn\u2019t generate much in the way of backlash over what it left out of the singer\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\n\tBryan Singer controversies aside, the 2018 Queen biopic \u201cBohemian Rhapsody\u201d was criticized for downplaying singer Freddie Mercury\u2019s bisexuality. It earned a barely fresh 60% Rotten Tomatoes score and four Academy Awards, including one for Rami Malek, despite criticism over his lip-syncing.<\/p>\n

\n\tEven Dexter Fletcher\u2019s jukebox musical \u201cRocketman\u201d was widely praised at 89%, though it effectively ignored many chapters of Elton John\u2019s life (including the singer\u2019s Madonna feud, Princess Diana\u2019s death and his work on \u201cThe Lion King\u201d), ending instead in the 1980s with \u201cI\u2019m Still Standing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tColman Domingo stars as Joe Jackson in \u201cMichael.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLionsgate<\/p>\n

\n\tSelective storytelling isn\u2019t a glitch in the biopic formula. Often, it is the formula, especially when the subjects or their estates are involved. As Variety reported<\/a>, the intended version of the film included the exploration of the impact of the allegations on Jackson\u2019s life. However, the third act finale was scrapped after attorneys for the Jackson estate, who also served as a producer, realized there was a clause in a settlement with one of the singer\u2019s accusers, Jordan Chandler, that barred the depiction or mention of him in any movie. Rewrites and reshoots would follow. Critics might feel the allegations are the whole story of the Jackson legacy, but without definitive proof, or a guilty verdict, any version of a \u201cMichael\u201d movie becomes an artist\u2019s interpretation for what they believe to be true. This isn\u2019t the first artistic exploration of the complicated music figure, and surely, will not be the last.<\/p>\n

\n\tNonetheless, this is what makes the critical response to \u201cMichael\u201d feel less like an analysis of director Antoine Fuqua\u2019s interpretation and more a reaction to the expectations of what the story should have been.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe film ends in 1988, staging \u201cBad\u201d as its creative crescendo (the best sequence in the film, by the way). For audiences expecting a cradle-to-grave reckoning, that cutoff can feel abrupt. For the filmmakers, the potential sequel could address the controversies of the 1990s.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe real issue isn\u2019t that \u201cMichael\u201d doesn\u2019t cover everything. It\u2019s that, in sidestepping those later chapters, it struggles to replace them with equally compelling narrative tension. That\u2019s a storytelling problem, but it\u2019s not the same as a moral or cinematic failure. That also doesn\u2019t mean \u201cMichael\u201d scribe John Logan will be ignored. \u201cBohemian Rhapsody,\u201d after all, was nearly nominated for original screenplay.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd if Oscar history has shown anything, these kinds of critical issues are not disqualifying. Remember Rule No. 1? Critics are not Oscar voters.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhere \u201cMichael\u201d may find an awards-season narrative is if it becomes a box-office juggernaut, on par with or surpassing \u201cBohemian Rhapsody\u2019s\u201d $910 million global haul. Its awards footing, however, lies in the performances \u2014 and this is where the industry should be paying closer attention.<\/p>\n

\n\tJaafar Jackson, the real-life nephew of the King of Pop (and son of his brother Jermaine), delivers a masterful performance that goes beyond \u201coh, he looks like him.\u201d The \u201cBad\u201d sequence alone demonstrates a command of physicality and presence that suggests a breakout moment, even if the film around him wavers. That kind of star turn has a long precedent for receiving awards love, particularly when biopics become showcases for actors. All I can say is, at minimum, watch out for Jaafar Jackson at the Golden Globes.<\/p>\n

\n\tEqually compelling is the discovery of 12-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi, who plays Michael during the Jackson 5\u2019s formative years. He avoids caricature, bringing emotional clarity to those early years. That showmanship should not go unnoticed. His road may go as far as the Critics Choice nom for young performer (under 23), but will mostly stop at those gates (although they shouldn\u2019t).<\/p>\n

\n\tIs this the summer of Colman Domingo? Alongside \u201cMichael,\u201d he\u2019ll appear in Steven Spielberg\u2019s upcoming \u201cDisclosure Day,\u201d and enter the Emmy conversation with the final season of HBO Max\u2019s \u201cEuphoria\u201d and the second season of the Tina Fey Netflix comedy \u201cThe Four Seasons,\u201d for which he was nominated last year. There\u2019s also the possibility of a guest comedy actor run for hosting \u201cSaturday Night Live.\u201d When an actor has that kind of momentum, the Academy often looks for a performance to crown the moment (see Jessica Chastain in \u201cThe Help\u201d or Philip Seymour Hoffman in \u201cCharlie Wilson\u2019s War\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\tThe film also serves as a reminder of the depth of talent among \u201990s-era Black actors. Nia Long brings much-needed grounding to the story and could have been a viable supporting actress player with one or two more scenes. Larenz Tate (seemingly ageless) shines as Motown legend Berry Gordy, while Kendrick Sampson captures the smooth authority of the late Quincy Jones. KeiLyn Durrel Jones, as security chief Bill Bray, is a quiet, commanding presence. These are actors, part of an ensemble that also includes Miles Teller, Mike Myers and more, who elevate uneven material, and whose opportunities have too often been limited. That could be \u201cMichael\u2019s\u201d advantage, and make it a threat for a spot at The Actor Awards for cast ensemble.<\/p>\n

\n\tNone of this is to suggest that criticism of \u201cMichael\u201d is unwarranted. Multiple factors will cap the Lionsgate film\u2019s awards prospects (i.e., inconsistent makeup, flat narrative beats). Adding to the previous abuse allegations against the King of Pop are newly-resurfaced allegations that came to light on Friday<\/a> \u2014 clearly an issue that could keep industry voters away.<\/p>\n

\n\tNonetheless, the idea that a biopic must function as a definitive, all-encompassing account or be deemed a cinematic failure isn\u2019t a standard the industry has ever consistently applied \u2014 nor should it be. If it were, many Oscar-winning films wouldn\u2019t exist. <\/p>\n

\n\tWhat \u201cMichael\u201d ultimately reveals is a growing tension between critics and audience expectations regarding biographical storytelling. The gap between those sensibilities is where most biopics live.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The verdict on \u201cMichael\u201d is in, and it is blunt. A 38% Rotten Tomatoes score has landed with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":606227,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[236,88,27453,27354,29506],"class_list":["post-606226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-jaafar-jackson","tag-michael","tag-oscars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=606226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/606227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=606226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=606226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=606226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}