Where the lackluster concert documentary Bad 25 explores the life and creative genius of Michael Jackson using the making of his 1987 album “Bad” as the narrative device on this, the album’s 25th anniversary. Dedicating time to all eleven songs on the record-breaking album, Lee uses the making of each song and subsequent music video to shape a narrative that moves effortlessly despite its two hour and 11 minute running time. In short, it’s excellent.
I should mention first, I’m a huge fan of Michael Jackson. The news of his death was entirely surreal to me, hitting me harder a day later than it did the day it was first reported. Our world has plenty of tragic figures and, to me, the tragedy that befell Michael Jackson is rather gut-wrenching. This doc makes it even a little harder to deal with as virtually all of the people Lee sits down to talk to are moved to tears the moment he asks where they were when they heard Michael died.
The genius of this documentary, however, isn’t the focus on Michael’s death. It’s the focus on his life and his creativity and the relationships he had with his collaborators, each and every one of them genuinely exhibiting a great care and compassion for the man that died over three years ago.
Using this narrative we see the likes of Martin Scorsese watching the short film he directed for “Bad”. We get a laugh as Lee asks him if he had any idea Michael would be doing so much crotch grabbing, Scorsese laughs, “No, and look, he’s doing it through the whole thing!” We’re witness to the development of his dance moves, the way the production stopped the first time Michael sings on the set of the video for “The Way You Make Me Feel”, the reason Tatiana Thumbtzen was chosen for that video and why they don’t kiss at the end.
I was enthralled listening to Bruce Swedien discussing his work as Michael’s audio engineer. Lee talks with Quincy Jones, Joe Pytka (director of “Dirty Diana” and The Way You Make Me Feel”), Steve Stevens on being called in to play guitar on “Dirty Diana”, Ruben Blades on working with Michael to translate “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” into Spanish, Greg Phillinganes (synthesizer) and Matt Forger‘s genuine sincerity discussing his work with Michael at his Hayvenhurst home. Then, of course, there are the entertainment names such as Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Sheryl Crow (who toured with Michael doing the “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” duet), Cee Lo Green, Chris Brown and Mariah Carey.
All of these conversations lead to the final moments when Lee asks each and every person where they were when Michael died and it’s as if the whole thing stops. The smiles they were sharing turn to tears. One of them says his response on hearing the news was, “Don’t call me and tell me that because it’s not true!” You feel it in your bones, the love that was shared between these creative artists that’s on display. It’s the first time I can remember seeing people genuinely speaking about Michael Jackson and actually believing them.
The group of today’s artists I listed above may have been influenced by Michael, but the majority of the people Lee talks to are those that worked with him and were called out of bed at four in the morning to begin recording a song once inspiration hit. All of this leads to the final song discussed, “Man in the Mirror.”
Siedah Garrett, who sang the duet with Michael on the album version of “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, co-wrote “Man in the Mirror” with Glen Ballard and she explains the process of coming up with the song and dropping it off for Quincy Jones. We’re introduced to the steps the song went through from there, how Michael shaped it and brought in a choir. Every emotion felt, from those interviewed while they discussed Michael’s death, comes back to the surface as Lee ends the documentary with Michael’s performance of “Man in the Mirror” at Wembley Stadium on July 16, 1988 to a crowd of 72,000 fans. It’s amazing.
I know opinions of Michael Jackson change from person to person, many of it shaped by what we’ve heard in the media, but when it comes to this documentary and my personal like of the man and what he brought to the world of music, this documentary delivers.
