Spike Lee has defended the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael after critics called out its omission of child sexual abuse allegations against the late pop star. Lee argued that the film's timeline, which ends in 1988, does not accommodate those later accusations.
Speaking to CNN, Lee said: “First of all, if you’re a movie critic, and you’re complaining about all this other stuff, but the movie ends in ’88. And the stuff you’re talking about, accusations, happened [later]. So you’re critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the film.” He added that audiences worldwide have shown their love for the film.
The Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic, approved and financed by Jackson's estate, stars the singer's nephew Jaafar Jackson in his feature debut. It follows Jackson from his early years in the Jackson 5 to the peak of his fame during the Bad tour in 1988. The film opened to a 96 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $217m (£160m) globally in its opening weekend, setting a record for music biopics.
Despite its commercial success, the film has been widely panned by critics. The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey described it as a “ghoulish, soulless cash grab” in a one-star review, noting it “exists to smooth out an icon’s legacy” by eradicating any indication of intent or agency.
According to reports, an earlier version of the film addressed the 1993 abuse allegations, but lawyers for Jackson's estate identified a prior settlement that precluded any depiction or mention of them. This led to 22 days of reshoots, costing between $10m and $15m, directly funded by the estate.
Dan Reed, director of the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, said the film's success shows that “people don’t care that he was a child molester”. Jackson denied all allegations during his lifetime and was acquitted on all charges in 2005.
