Film review: Get on Up (12A, 139min)

Super Boseman feeling good as the Godfather of Soul
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Nov 2014, 17:00 BST
Get On Up: Chadwick Boseman as James BrownGet On Up: Chadwick Boseman as James Brown
Get On Up: Chadwick Boseman as James Brown

Get On Up is a handsome biopic directed by Tate Taylor (The Help), which charts the rise of soul brother James Brown against a backdrop of civil unrest.

Thirty-two-year-old rising star Chadwick Boseman achieves a startling transformation to convincingly portray the musical legend across five decades that defined the face of multi-cultural America.

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Get On Up is reminiscent of the Oscar-winning 2004 film Ray, which netted Jamie Foxx a golden statuette for his portrayal of rhythm and blues legend Ray Charles. Both films are conventional biopics and are selective about the episodes they immortalise of their singers’ turbulent lives. Boseman is super good, capturing the impetuosity and unerring self-belief of the Godfather of Soul from age 16 to 60.