The new Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua, is the latest in a growing line of authorised music films that prioritise sanitised narratives over complex truths. The film, which covers Jackson's rise to fame, avoids the child abuse allegations that plagued his later years, offering instead a 'pure escapism' that the singer's producer Quincy Jones famously championed. Licensed by Sony and the Jackson estate, the film presents a greatest-hits playlist scrubbed of darkness.
This trend was revived by the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which, despite critical dismissal, earned four Oscars and $911m at the box office. Its success set a precedent for estates to cash in and control narratives. Since then, authorised biopics have been made about Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, Robbie Williams, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
Some films succeed in adding depth, such as A Complete Unknown, which focuses on Bob Dylan's folk beginnings to tell a bigger story about celebrity, or Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, which explores the origins of his album Nebraska. However, others fall short. Sam Taylor-Johnson's Back to Black reduces Amy Winehouse to her tragic romantic relationship, influenced by her father Mitch, who owns her estate. Similarly, Bohemian Rhapsody and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody obscure Mercury's sexuality and Houston's drug use, flattening the humanity behind the controversies.
Michael tracks 20 years of Jackson's life, ending before the 1993 child abuse allegations and ignoring the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland. The film neuters Jackson's personal life, showing him eating ice-cream and reading children's books, never questioning the adult environments he was exposed to as a child star. A title card promises 'His story continues', an understatement given the unresolved allegations.
While estates and studios benefit from these revisionist histories, fans are left with sanitised propaganda. Hardcore admirers may be riled by inaccuracies, and casual fans seeking insight into hit songs find only formulaic montages. Audiences deserve better than authorised biopics that prioritise profit over truth.
