The Lady in My Lie
Michael unsurprisingly strays far from the historical record and even erases three of the nine Jackson children
The team behind the new biopic Michael were trying to accomplish quite a few things when they began this endeavor several years back. Director Antoine Fuqua, screenwriter John Logan, and producers Graham King, John Branca, and John McClain wanted to generate truckloads of money for Lionsgate, please the Michael Jackson estate by leaning hard on nostalgia for the singer’s glory years, brush away any hint of the horrifying child abuse allegations that plagued him later in life, and possibly set up an extended Jackson Family cinematic universe. (How long before we get Control: The Janet Jacket Story?)
One matter they seem unconcerned by is fidelity to the historical record. But to be fair, that is not the job of a biopic. As we’ve pointed out in fact-check articles for movies about Queen, Elton John, Mötley Crüe, Amy Winehouse, Bob Dylan, and the Sex Pistols, if you want to learn about musical history, read a book or watch a documentary.
The Bruce Springsteen movie Deliver Me From Nowhere is a rare exception, but they were able to get most everything right since it takes place in just about 12 months between 1981 and 1982. Michael begins in 1966 and warps up to 1988. That’s way too much time to squeeze into a mere 140 minutes. It means major events have to be skipped completely, others have to be glossed over in seconds, and the timeline has to get very squishy.
