Daily Loaf

I went into Michael Jackson’s This Is It fearing the worst. After months of breathless coverage following MJ’s demise, what could a hastily assembled documentary about the rehearsals for the King of Pop’s comeback 50-night stand at London’s O2 Arena possibly have to add to the spectacle? I feared This Is It would be little more than a crass attempt by the financial backers of the concerts to not only recoup their money but make a killing in the process. After seeing the film, I can report that greed has won the day.

Read more and check out the This Is It trailer after the jump …

This Is It turns out to be a rather inert concert doc about a concert that never happened in the first place. Director Kenny Ortega has pieced together a walk-though of Jackson’s planned stage show, complete with all the musical false starts, sloppiness and mistakes that typically characterize rehearsals. Many of Jackson’s greatest hits are performed, including “Thriller,” “Beat It,” “Billy Jean,” “Black and White” and “Man in the Mirror.” There was even a planned Jackson 5 segment (featuring an awesome, trippy backdrop), though the performance captured on film is a mess.

This Is It includes a behind-the-scenes look at the entire concert production, including dancer auditions, a pyrotechnic run-through, machinery tests and the creation of filmed segments that were to be played on giant screens during the show. Sometimes computer animation is used to show what would have happened. I’m sure those interested in concert production will find these segments fascinating, but for the rest of us it’s a bit of a tease. This Is It often comes across more like the bonus content you’d find on a DVD than the actual feature presentation.

In the middle of it all is Michael Jackson. MJ appears a shell of a man — rail thin, gaunt and complaining that he shouldn’t be stretching his vocal chords. Watching the rehearsals, I kept wondering how anyone thought Jackson was going to survive 50 nights of performing? That’s not to say This Is It is all bad: Jackson was an incredibly talented guy, and that talent shines through in spots. Sometimes he seems very engaged (as when he works out the intro to “The Way You Make Me Feel” with bandleader Michael Bearden), and in all too fleeting moments he loses himself in song, allowing his sweet voice to run away with itself.

If you’re a fan of Michael Jackson, you’ll likely find This Is It to be an intimate look at a performer hard at work on what would have been his greatest concert ever. You’ll enjoy the music and weep for the man. If you’re not an MJ fan, you’re liable to wonder what all the fuss was about. It’s a shame that the film spends a fair amount of time stressing that Jackson was a perfectionist, only to present sub-standard renderings of the singer’s greatest hits. But Jackson’s such a cultural icon that the lack of quality matters not. So what if the music isn’t up to snuff? There’s money to be made here. Cha-ching!

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