#181: This Is It

Release Date: October 20th, 2009

Format: DVD

Directed by: Kenny Ortega

2 Stars

Ah, back to the small pile of mystery DVDs that I received for my birthday last year.

Tonight’s DVD was This Is It, the 2009 documentary covering the behind-the-scenes preparations for what was supposed to be Michael Jackson’s final worldwide tour. It’s entertaining, but it’s is a film without a thesis. It’s essentially a compilation of rehearsals, some backstage footage, and a handful of short interviews with a few of the performers. We’re just the proverbial fly on the wall. 

But being a fly on the wall in the presence of the greatest musical performer in history ain’t nothing.   

When This Is It was released, just 4 months after Jackson’s untimely death, it made $23 million in its opening weekend and went on to make $268 million globally. Sure, people were still saddened by his passing, but they were also curious.

Did Michael still have it? 

It had been ten years since he had publicly performed, and in the interim he had weathered a storm of deplorable abuse allegations and embarrassing public episodes (he single-handedly armed late night TV hosts with months of material after he hung his own infant child over the railing of a hotel balcony). 

Wacko Jacko, he was called.

Well, This Is It showed us that yes, Michael still had it. Even going half-speed in these rehearsals, his talent is stunning. 

But we already knew he was stunningly talented. This Is It doesn’t offer us much else.