MICHAEL (2026)

MICHAEL is a 2026 musical drama about the life and career of the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, from his days in the late 1960s and 1970s as star of The Jackson Five with his brothers, to Michael’s skyrocketing solo career from 1979 to 1988, five years before accusations of child abuse by Jackson became public. MICHAEL is best when it showcases Michael Jackson’s musical, dancing and creative talent and does give viewers some insight into what experiences animated Michael, including the personal abuse he suffered from his strict father, but it avoids the more controversial allegations against the pop star and has some foul language, so MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.

The movie begins with the formation of The Jackson 5 in 1968, led by Joe Jackson, the five brothers’ strict, demanding father. An early scene shows Joe viciously whipping Michael with his belt when Michael complains that he’s too tired to rehearse after returning home from an important musical gig the singing group just performed. The beating sends poor little Michael crying into the bathroom and shutting the door.

As The Jackson 5 begins their career, Michael retreats to fantasy to find some respite away from Joe’s temper. A favorite fantasy is a children’s book about Disney’s 1953 movie PETER PAN. Michael identities with Peter Pan and feels great relief when evil Captain Hook falls into the crocodile’s jaws.

In 1969, The Jackson 5 signs with Barry Gordy’s Motown Records and scores five No One hits, beginning with “I Want You Back” and “ABC.” Despite their tremendous success, Joe is just as controlling and abusive. By 1978, Michael has a great itch to do some solo albums where he can let his creativity soar into the stratosphere.

Meanwhile, Michael suffers from loneliness. His only friends are a pet llama and a pet monkey Michael has named “Bubbles.”

MICHAEL is best when it showcases Michael Jackson’s musical, dancing and creative talent. The movie’s musical and dance performances are just wonderful. Movie highlights include a sort of medley of those five early No. 1 hits by The Jackson Five, the creation of the “Beat It” and “Thriller” music videos, and concert versions of “Human Nature” from the THRILLER album and “Bad” from the 1988 album titled BAD. Then, there’s the 1983 MTV Awards showcase where Michael’s joyful performance of “Billie Jean,” and his introduction of his “moon walk” dance moves, brings the house down. Anyone who experienced any of these moments of pop culture history will be taken back to some magical times. MOVIEGUIDE®’s reviewer was particularly moved by those early Jackson 5 hits, which were a big part of many a Baby Boomer’s high school memories, especially when spring was in the air and the possibilities of romance were high on the wing. One staff member’s sister had her first date at 14 when the boy took her to a Jackson 5 concert in 1969.

However, MICHAEL avoids any depiction of the allegations of child abuse by Jackson that later arose in the public eye in 1993. That was the year when one 13-year-old boy accused Jackson of inappropriately touching him. Prosecutors didn’t take the allegations to court, but a civil suit saw about $15 million exchange hands. Thus, the movie ends with Michael performing the hit song “Bad” at a London concert in 1988, five years before those allegations went public.

The movie also avoids mentioning the fact that Michael’s mother was a member of the heretical Non-Christian cult Jehovah’s Witness. Instead of this, the movie focuses on the family love between them, even though the mother apparently had her own quirky issues. A recent news story claims that Michael liked to knock on people’s doors, call himself “Joe,” which was his middle name, and hand them JW tracts while talking to them about his faith. Reportedly, Michael left the church in 1990, but without joining another church or faith community. Thus, the singer may have become even more isolated as a result of his isolation from any sense of the divine.

The movie also doesn’t mention that Michael’s father liked to call him “Big Nose” when Michael started being overly concerned about the size of his nose. This relentless teasing apparently had a great negative psychological effect on Michael, who became obsessed with getting plastic surgeries on his nose and other parts of his face. Michael also suffered from two skin diseases.

MOVIEGUIDE®’s research into the father’s abusive parental behavior is mixed. Even Michael says in his autobiography that his father also hit his other sons, not just Michael, when their rehearsal performances left something to be desired. In fact, in a 2003 documentary, Michael actually says his father treated his brothers worse than he treated him. Also, however, one article MOVIEGUIDE® read surmised that Michael perhaps felt the beatings more deeply than the other boys because he was so young.

One of the movie’s most poignant scenes is one where a teenage Michael finally seems to be opening up to someone about his feelings. The camera moves a little to the left and shows that Michael is just talking to his pet llama. Thus, the movie makes it clear that Michael’s only friends as a child and a teenager were his pet monkey and llama. Eventually, however, Michael becomes friends with a bodyguard and driver. He also becomes friends with an attorney, John Branca, who helps Jackson in his record deals. The two men had a falling out, but they reconciled shortly before Michael died in 2009. Branca became co-executor of Michael’s will and is still Chairman of the Michael Jackson Company as of the writing of this review.

One of Michael Jackson’s nephews, Jermaine Jackson’s son Jaafar, does a good job portraying the music icon, but the movie dubs his singing voice with that of Michael’s. Colman Domingo is brilliant as Michael’s father, Joe Jackson. His performance explains how Michael was so emotionally damaged that he had trouble escaping his father’s dark shadow. As the young Michael, Juliano Valdi also does a great job. His beautiful performance helps draw viewers into the movie’s depiction of Michael Jackson’s story.

Ultimately, MICHAEL is mostly just a celebration of Michael Jackson’s artistic talent. As such, it focuses on some of Michael’s social and moral concerns, such as his concerns about gang violence, as in the song “Beat It,” or his personal concerns about being able to reach out to other people, such as the song “Human Nature.” Of course, in the song “Thriller,” and its famous music video, Michael expresses his affection for horror movies and dance. The movie also shows the love Michael had for his mother, and the love he had for his brothers. However, MICHAEL omits the fact that, eventually, Michael’s father mellowed, and Michael said he forgave his father, though he still carries the scars of the pain his father caused.

MICHAEL has some foul language. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children, including younger teenagers.

Finally, regarding the accusations that Michael Jackson sexually abused boys or slept next to them in beds, Actors Corey Feldman of STAND BY ME and Macauly Culkin of HOME AONE have said Michael Jackson never abused them or any other boys in their presence. However, after a 2019 documentary went through some accusations by others against Jackson, Feldman said he could “no longer defend” him.