My take on “Get On Up”: Saw it and was very pleased. When you’re faced with producing a movie with such a broad life spectrum, it has to be tough to figure out not only how much or what part(s) of the story to tell but more importantly, how to tell it. I thought this was done very well. Musically, the movie had me tapping, shifting, and singing from beginning to end. Pure old school JB! Pretty darn near close to coming out of my seat to get on the good foot….as some other movie goers did as the credits rolled… lol. It was very entertaining, enlightening and even inspiring at times. There was also some insight into how JB became JB and some reminders of his meteoric rise as the godfather of soul as well as increasingly disturbing falls from grace. Unlike other celebrity movies where the star experiences great success and then implodes under the weight of a drug addiction, JB’s travails seemed to come more so from an inability to discipline his huge ego. The movie was laced with cleverly scripted humor, not over the top, and the movie’s muscle was the focus on JB’s social consciousness, not just as a black entertainer, but a black man! You saw a man who took a lot of pride in his accomplishments as well as his connection to his heritage. I expect an Oscar nomination for ‘C. Bose’ who literally became JB to the extent that an actor can. Not quite as proficient as Jaime Foxx as Ray, but an excellent foray into the role (of a lifetime for him). This is definitely a star maker for him! I hope he continues to make good role choices, i.e., Jackie Robinson… 3.5 stars out of 4.

Kenny Anderson

Kenny Anderson is Director of Multicultural Affairs for the City of Huntsville. He is also host of a weekly radio broadcast called “2nd Chance” and a daily television show called “Impact”.