A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
Acting
Boseman's physical transformation is genuinely shocking.
Direction
Tate Taylor breaks fourth wall like Brown broke rules.
Sound
The live performance recreations are almost illegally good.
Director
Tate Taylor
Chadwick Boseman
James Brown
Nelsan Ellis
Bobby Byrd
Dan Aykroyd
Ben Bart
Viola Davis
Susie Brown
Lennie James
Joe Brown
Fred Melamed
Syd Nathan
Jill Scott
DeeDee Brown
Octavia Spencer
Aunt Honey
Nick Eversman
Mick Jagger
Tika Sumpter
Yvonne Fair
James DuMont
Corporal Dooley
Billy Slaughter
Pool Cleaner
Ritchie Montgomery
Warden
Craig Robinson
Maceo Parker
Brandon Mychal Smith
Little Richard
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Boseman did 90% of his own dancing after eight months of training—Mick Jagger, a producer, reportedly cried watching him nail Brown's signature splits.
The film was made with Brown family's involvement, which explains why his domestic violence is acknowledged but his political radicalism (the 'Black and I'm Proud' era) feels weirdly soft-pedaled.
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