Movie Review: Michael Jackson’s farewell dance: ‘This Is It’
Tribute: Film about late star’s ill-fated comeback defies expectations

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Published: October 30, 2009

Doubters have every reason to be skeptical about "Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” mainly because it was assembled in less than four months and carries all the warning signs of both a cynical cash grab and a maudlin lionization of a dead superstar. But "This Is It” confounds expectations by delivering an often fascinating look behind the scenes of what could have been the most talked-about comeback of the year but now stands as an oddly compelling coda.

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"Michael Jackson’s This Is It”

2:01

3 stars

Starring: Michael Jackson, Kenny Ortega, Orlanthi Panagaris, Michael Bearden.

(Suggestive choreography, scary images)

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The chief message of "This Is It,” directed by Jackson’s choreographer and "High School Musical” director Kenny Ortega, is that Jackson was not screwing around with these preparations for a 50-date stand at London’s O2 Arena. Compiled from dozens of hours of footage shot during rehearsals at Los Angeles’ Staples Center and Nokia Theatre, "This Is It” shows Jackson looking noticeably frail but still in surprising command of his talents and faculties. The truth is, he sounded like he had lost almost none of his vocal ability, and his dancing — even at age 50 — was still something to behold.

All of this comes as a shock not just because of the circumstances surrounding his death in June, but because Jackson spent the past 15 years or so of his professional life as an unreliable performer. He would frequently cut short scheduled appearances or simply cancel them outright. But "This Is It” reveals that Jackson was preparing to sing a front-to-back collection of his biggest hits and do so in a way that would remind everyone of why they cared about this peculiar, troubled but undeniably great pop singer.

Preproduction footage for the "This Is It” concert presentation supplies the documentary with far more than just behind-the-scenes moments. In one sequence, Jackson is inserted into a film noir scene with Rita Hayworth, Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, and another offers a new, Ortega-directed zombie sequence for "Thriller” that would have been seen by concertgoers in 3-D. It suffers next to John Landis’ iconic music video, but it shows that the finished concert experience, if Jackson had come through with his plans, could have lived up to the hype.

Perhaps most instructive are the scenes in which Jackson is schooling his dancers and musicians on the fine points of his songs and presentation. Jackson would insist that instrumental parts for hits such as "Billie Jean,” "Smooth Criminal” and "Beat It” be painstakingly re-created. In one scene, Jackson goes over an almost imperceptibly subtle difference between how musical director and keyboardist Michael Bearden plays the keyboard part from "The Way You Make Me Feel” and the 1987 original. He was a strange little taskmaster, and after some back-and-forth on the part, Jackson lays down the law: "I want it like I wrote it.”

But he also can be seen offering almost parental encouragement. When Australian guitar sorceress Orianthi Panagaris, 24, plays a fiery version of "Black or White,” Jackson keeps pushing her to go further with the fleet-fingered finale, saying "This is your time to shine.”

In the final third of "This Is It,” Ortega proves too indulgent with his subject — some sequences are overlong and offer nothing new to understanding Jackson’s methods. While many fans will thrill at the revelation that their hero could still deliver the goods as a singer and dancer, it is those moments, where Jackson is combing through the details of this massive production, that make "This Is It” so interesting and entertaining.

It is easy to forget that Jackson, when he was truly engaged in what mattered, was a notorious perfectionist during the recordings of "Off the Wall” and "Thriller.” "This Is It” proves that while Jackson was plagued by issues too voluminous to chronicle here, he badly wanted this comeback. If Jackson had lived, he might have gotten it.

— George Lang