My Thoughts on Michael Jackson's This Is It

Last Saturday with my oldest daughter in tow, I went to our local theater to see the Michael Jackson movie This Is It. I was really looking forward to seeing this movie and was glad to have my 7 year old daughter share the experience with me. For me, this was a BIG deal as I grew up with Michael's music. To me and as my hubby was saying to my daughter when we returned home from the movie, Michael Jackson was the Elvis of my generation, he was a HUGE icon and changed the way people not only saw music but dancing as well. I had heard there was big controversy surrounding this movie, but I didn't care, I wanted to see this movie. I am SOO glad that I got to experience this film. It was not the story of his life, but the story of Michael Jackson THE performer. I didn't care about all the rumors of what had happened to him, didn't care about his trial and all the controversy surrounding him, what was on the screen to me was what he truly was: the greatest performer of my time, of our time. He was passionate about his music, passionate about his dancing and choreography, passionate about getting it right. He was a hard worker. As I watched, I was so bummed that the world would not be able to see this tour because it would have been absolutely amazing. Michael's voice was strong, his dance moves were flawless, you would have never known by looking at him that anything was wrong with him and certainly would have never known that in a short time, he would be gone. As his popular song states "Gone Too Soon" but for me way too soon.


I have been a Michael Jackson fan since I can remember. His music was influential in my life. I followed all the negative press through his life from newspapers, to TV and magazines, but it wasn't until after his death that the world actually got to see what kind of man Michael Jackson truly was. When his little daughter spoke up at his funeral, you realized that he was the best dad, who loved and cared for his kids, sometimes in a bizarre way, but was still a dad. Stories came out about his charity work, of his kindness to others in times of need. Where were these stories when he was alive? The pressures were getting to him and life was hard, but he was ready for the comeback tour of his life. This Is It gives us a true fans and new fans, old fans and young fans, a glimpse into life backstage. It shows us what could have been, but will never be. I literally had chills watching this film. The voice was still there, perhaps at times stronger than it ever has been. His love for God never in doubt. His loves for his family was clearly shown. While watching this film, I endured a mixture of emotions. From the beginning, I wanted to cry, but as the time went by, I felt happy in being able to see him as the performer he truly was. The love and admiration he had for his dancers, his musicians, his producers, etc was relentless. I am so glad that Kenny Ortega and the Jackson family put this film out there for us to see. Was it too soon? Perhaps. Were we all truly ready? Probably not. Being able to witness this film for me truly was HIStory in the making and it was important for me for my oldest daughter to be there with me. She kept talking about how she enjoyed it. She likes Michael Jackson and has asked me to put his music on her MP3, to me that means something.
I urge you, if you are a Michael Jackson fan or not, this film will touch you in some way. In some way after watching this, I have a little bit of closure as I'm sure some people do. To me, this was brilliance personified.