Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story

Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story is a 2004 Canadian-American biographical telefilm produced for VH1.[1] The biopic stars Flex Alexander as Michael Jackson, and follows his rise to fame and subsequent events.[2] The film takes its title from one of Jackson's songs, "Man in the Mirror". The film was primarily shot in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story
Written byClaudia Salter
Directed byAllan Moyle
StarringFlex Alexander
Eugene Clark
Frederic Tucker
Krista Rae
Music byBruce Leitl
Country of originUS
Original language(s)English
Production
Producer(s)Michael Frislev
Chad Oakes
Production location(s)Calgary, Alberta, Canada
CinematographyDavid Greene
Editor(s)Bridget Durnford
Running time87 minutes
DistributorParamount Home Entertainment
VH1 Television
Release
Original releaseAugust 6, 2004

Plot

The film is a sort of spiritual sequel to The Jacksons: An American Dream, which discussed the Jackson family as children.

Man in the Mirror begins with a flashback, albeit with a voice-over narration by Michael Jackson (Flex Alexander), who reminisces on his younger self (played by Brennan Gademans in a non-speaking role), wanting a normal childhood in addition to becoming a superstar at a young age. It later flashes forward to 1983, whereas Jackson (Alexander) is now a global superstar and pop icon, due in part to his success of his critically acclaimed and universally successful sixth studio album Thriller, which has sold over 100 million copies worldwide, and making Jackson a global superstar beyond his wildest dreams.

The telefilm later jumps from Jackson's universal fame post-Thriller, into his personal life and relationships within the public eye. From events chronicling a troubled time during the Dangerous era, his failed marriages with both Lisa Marie Presley (daughter of music icon Elvis) and Debbie Rowe, whom he later had two children with, a strained relationship with his father Joe, child molestation allegations, to the 30th anniversary of his solo career, dealing with 9/11, and a criminal trial for child molestation allegations of which he was found Not Guilty, the telefilm has Jackson struggling to regain his image as a music icon and a world-renowned entertainer.

Cast

Award nominations
  • 2005 - Nominated NAACP Image Award Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special - Flex Alexander.

Reception

The film originally aired on August 6, 2004, receiving a TV rating of TV-PG for language. The telefilm went on to receive generally negative reviews from both fans and critics alike as the film presented Jackson in a very unflattering manner and did not represent most of the true story. Unlike the former, none of Jackson's songs are heard, only mentioned in the telefilm.[3][4] Despite not having a critical score on the Tomatometer, the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes gave the TV movie a 40% rating.[5]

Telelvision critic Melaine Mcfarland of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer called the "biopoem" (as described by the director) "one of those tastelessly timed works meant to coax forth any sympathy we might have for Jackson's situation".[6]

Home media

It is available on DVD, where it is distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment and is rated PG-13 for some brief language and thematic elements by the MPAA.[7]

References
  1. PopMatters
  2. Morales, Tatiana (2004-08-06). "Flex Alexander Plays King Of Pop". cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  3. DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video
  4. TV Guide
  5. Rotten Tomatoes
  6. The image of Michael Jackson is murky in 'Man in the Mirror' - seattlepi.com
  7. Amazon.com
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