Apr 26, 2026 11:09am PT

‘Michael’ May Be ‘Family-Friendly,’ but It’s a Movie That Taps Into Michael Jackson’s Most Powerful Creative Fuel — His Anger

The film shows us how Michael's war with his father fed the pulse of his art.

Owen Gleiberman

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Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

@OwenGleiberman

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The media has done a good job of talking about what’s not in “Michael.” I refer, of course, to the accusations of child sexual abuse that dogged Michael Jackson from 1993 until the day he died (and, of course, they didn’t stop then). The media has done a far less good job of talking about what’s actually in “Michael.” If you scan the coverage, you’d think that the movie was the most scrubbed and innocuous of jukebox musicals. You might think the reason it’s going to make a jillion dollars is that a lot of people are only too happy to revel in a Michael Jackson biopic that’s all greatest-hits cues and nostalgic high points: a two-hour hologram of Michael mania.

'Michael' May Be 'Family-Friendly,' but It's a Movie That Taps Into Michael Jackson’s Most Powerful Creative Fuel — His Anger