Movie Review: This Is It

From the moment I first saw Michael Jackson on that fateful episode of Silver Spoons where he showed up at the diner and got mobbed by all the patrons, I was instantly curious of the popularity of this fellow. I recognized him from a song on the show, but wasn’t aware that he was actually more famous than Ricky Schroder. As the years went on, I had realized that he was the icon of the 80’s and most likely more well known than any of our US presidents. Everyone else was interested, so I too became interested and even a fan of his music.

Following the news of Michael Jackson’s death, I became reclusive until I felt some semblance of closure. Months later, This Is It is released, and now I can finally feel as if I can move on. It’s not a traditional movie of sorts. It’s more of a collection of moments of Michael Jackson’s life all tied up into 120 minutes of nostalgia. One cannot relive such a rich history without it bringing you back to the times when it was all new. I remembered the hours my brother and I spent trying to lean as far we could, like Michael Jackson did in Smooth Criminal. I remembered sitting in a small chair with my first off-playground girlfriend on my neighbor’s porch, while we listened to Bad from end-to-end. I remembered the smell of burnt popcorn after leaving it sit too long on the stove, while I intently watched the Black or White special during the 1993 Super Bowl.

This is why This is It is such a wonderful excursion back in time, and relives the Michael Jackson that we all knew and loved. It has moments of joy, silliness and sadness. You may even catch yourself in a moment of tears. I held it together though. I didn’t cry. OK, I’m lying… I didn’t actually see This Is It.