Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story (2004) (TV)

User Rating:

3.3/10   

Director:

Allan Moyle

Writer (WGA):

Claudia Salter (written by)

Release Date:

6 August 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Plot:

Chronicles the rise and fall of pop king Michael Jackson. |

Plot Keywords:

Michael Jackson | Rise And Fall | Singer | Price Of Fame | Accusation

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Flex Alexander	...	Michael Jackson
Eugene Clark	...	Bobby
Theresa Browning	...	Woman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marty Antonini	...	Detective #2
Tom Carey	...	Director
Brian Copping	...	Elder
Lynne Cormack	...	Liz Taylor
Hugh Delaney	...	Judge
Cedric De Souza	...	Martin Bashir
Talon Dunbar	...	Little Boy
Greg Farkas	...	Male Dancer
Brennan Gademans	...	Young Michael
Jason Griffith	...	Jermaine Jackson
Patricia Idlette	...	Katherine Jackson
Reamonn Joshee	...	Junkie
Samantha Kaine	...	Diana Ross (as Samantha Banton)
Liberty Kee	...	Nanny (as Linda Kee)
Greg Lawson	...	Detective #1
Daniel Libman	...	Dr. Goodman (as Dan Libman)
Barbara Mamabolo	...	Janet Jackson
Brian Martell	...	Thomas (as Brian Martel)
Peter Onorati	...	Ziggy
Duncan Pattillo	...	Bodyguard
Lou Poulis	...	Gardner
Brendan Prost	...	Manny
Brooklynn Proulx	...	Paris Jackson (Michaels daughter)
Krista Rae	...	Lisa Marie Presley
Chad Riley	...	Dance crew member
Troy Rudolph	...	Stage Manager
Carrie Schiffler	...	Surgeon
Connor Schmidt	...	Lisa's Boy
Peter Skagen	...	Attorney
Amy Sloan	...	Holly
William S. Taylor	...	Johnny Cochran (as William Taylor)
April Telek	...	Debbie Rowe
Michael Tod	...	Sick Boy
Jameson Trenholm	...	Junkie #2
Frederic Tucker	...	Joe Jackson
Aidan Wilks	...	David
Gerrick Winston	...	Tito Jackson

Also Known As:

Family Values (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements.

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Blueprint Entertainment

Trivia:

Throughout the film, several crew members appear as extras in a number of scenes.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Jehovah's Witnesses also do not refer to their place of worship as a church. The call it a Kingdom Hall.

Movie Connections:

References Thriller (1983) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Freeman

No more than a high school play

First of all, there is no actor who can be Michael Jackson. The actor does not in any way look, sound, or act identical to Michael. Second, a movie about a pop-singer is going to be very sparse in the music department when the rights to the music can't be acquired. This means reenactments of stage performances wouldn't work, unless they were done in silence with some expository movie music played over it. Last, this is not a movie so much as it is a summary, or an article, on the more recent events in Jackson's life.

Fans of his personality, energy, and image from his older albums will be disappointed, as the film quickly shifts to more recent news events and controversies. If you DO want a positive movie focusing on his prior image, see "Moonwalker." (Or play the video game for a couple minutes)

Like serial killer movies Dahmer, Bundy, and Ed Gein, this movie isn't so much about plot and drama as it is about showing events on screen, and getting a glimpse of what actually happened, but altered through artistic license and conjecture. Think of it not so much as a movie, but more as a high school play, where the actors aren't there to look or sound like their characters- they exist to convey information to the audience. The characters and dialogue here are not always believable or realistic, but they serve as a summary of events.

As a movie, it fails. But as a person's rap sheet, it does a good job of piecing various news bits together into a continuity that makes more sense than it does when machine-gun fired through the local news.