Get on Up is the story of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. It begins with James as a young boy in Georgia and travels through his professional career until just before his death.

Story: Not so great. The way this story is told seems a bit disjointed. There are some montages that are really out of place and most of his personal life as an adult is left out. Yes, it’s tough to squeeze in every detail of a 50 year career, but, it could have been done better.

Performances: Chadwick Boseman as James Brown is really good. Not Oscar good, but, maybe People’s Choice good. He does a great job of simulating James Brown’s caricature-like persona – the voice, the moves, the attitude. But, it may not be enough.

Some other characters show up in more cameo-like roles; Jill Scott as one of his wives, Octavia Spencer as his Aunt, Viola Davis as his mother, Dan Aykroyd as his business manager. Even a quick scene between a pre-fame Little Richard talking to a pre-fame James Brown. That is probably the most interesting scene in the movie.

Visual: Usually, the performances are the best part of a singer’s biopic; This is not the case for Get on Up. I will give the filmmaker’s credit for the costumes and backdrop; the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s look like their respective decades, but, without a comprehensive story, the era’s seem lonely.

Rating: It’s a C. The intentions were good, but, the effort fell short…

If I’m to understand correctly, Mick Jagger had some hand in the making of this film because James Brown made such an impression on him as a young artist starting out in the business. And yes, there is a scene showing The Rolling Stones following James Brown at a performance in the 1960’s. James Brown was a more popular artist at the time, but, The Rolling Stones ended up headlining. It was the 60’s, I’m sure you can figure out the rest…

So, don’t put this at the top of your DVD queue; See it when you don’t have anything else to see and hope the next movie about James Brown’s life and career is better…