Get On Up

PG-13

Released Aug 1, 2014

2 hr. 18 min.

Biography

Drama

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81%

171 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

James Brown (Chadwick Boseman) was born in extreme poverty in 1933 South Carolina and survived abandonment, abuse and jail to become one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He joined a gospel group as a teenager, but the jazz and blues along the "chitlin' circuit" became his springboard to fame. Although his backup musicians came and went, Brown retained the ability to mesmerize audiences with his music, signature moves and sexual energy.

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Critics Consensus

With an unforgettable Chadwick Boseman in the starring role, Get On Up offers the Godfather of Soul a fittingly dynamic homage.

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Jonathan G

"Get On Up" is a thunderous yet conventional biopic. The film would jump randomly through different decades in a certainly off order, the direction wasn't that great, and this falls into the same formulaic pitfalls that biopics usually fall into. Viola Davis was severely underused, but the crown jewel of this film is James Brown himself. Definitively his best performance of all time, Chadwick Boseman brought the icon to life in the most electrifying way possible.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/24

Full Review

RulerOfAll0

Crazy biopic and will have you scratching your head also tapping your feet, Chadwick has put on an memorable tribute for the legendary James Brown.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/02/23

Full Review

Cathy J

My husband really enjoyed this movie. The acting was good and I found it kind of interesting but also depressing, so once is good enough for me.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/05/23

Full Review

steve d

The acting is great, and Chadwick Boseman should have been up for all the awards but nothing else transness normal biopic cliches.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

l o g a

Demons! I watched this movie alone in the house at 2:00 AM. and… I danced like 30 times! It's a wonderful movie, not so much because of the story of overcoming James Brown, but because, well, he's fucking James Brown, what can I say?!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

isla s

I found this an engrossing and intriguing watch, certainly from the musical biopic point of view. Also, the cast/performances were pretty memorable, including, of course, the vocal performances. The energy of James Brown's live shows was put across well, I felt, from what I know. I didn't know much about the man's upbringing/childhood and so I found it both interesting and revealing to see what sort of a background he was from, although, I suppose, in a sad way it shouldn't surprise me, given the prevalence of poverty, particularly in non-whites, at that particular time. If I were to criticise the film, I'd say that it may have slightly glossed over what happened following James hey-day, as it were, although I understand if this was primarily meant to be a celebration of his success. Overall its certainly a solid example of a well-made music biopic, even if it isn't perhaps quite as thorough as it maybe could be. Oh and there's one other thing I'd like to mention - I noticed Mick Jagger was noted as a producer, in the first few credits at the end of the film. The Rolling Stones were mentioned in the film - Mick being played by Nick Eversman. Speaking of credits, as is often the case, old photos of James Brown are shown and some additional information about him is provided in the form of on-screen text. I've no doubt you could find some worse examples of this sort of a film, than this particular title, hence I'd definitely recommend it, yes.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Tate Taylor

Director

Chadwick Boseman

James Brown

Nelsan Ellis

Bobby Byrd

Dan Aykroyd

Ben Bart

Viola Davis

Susie Brown

Lennie James

Joe Brown

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Get on Up: Official Clip - We're Together or We Ain't

2:40

Get on Up: Official Clip - Soul Power

2:22

Get on Up: Official Clip - Papa Don't Take No Mess

2:19

Get on Up: Official Clip - A Brand New Bag

2:12

Get on Up: Official Clip - The Night Train

2:09

Get on Up: Official Clip - James Brown and His Famous Flames

3:07

Get on Up: Official Clip - The Battle Royale

2:56

Get on Up: Official Clip - It Don't Move, It Don't Move Nobody

3:19

Get on Up: Official Clip - Welcome to America

3:12

Get on Up: Official Clip - Settle Down Captain

2:14

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Get on Up: Trailer 1

2:42

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Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

Warts and all, in fits and starts, finally the Hardest Working Man in Show Business gets his story told.

Mar 21, 2017

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

Magically, unexpectedly, most funkily, Get on Up feels fresh and crisp as the Godfather of Soul's keenest moves.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 23, 2014

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

It's stirring scattershot stuff, made with a fine eye for period detail and an evident passion for the music, which remains the driving force throughout.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 23, 2014

Full Review

Toussaint Egan

Polygon

Get on Up is a thoroughly entertaining drama with Boseman shining at its center.

Oct 22, 2021

Full Review

Alex Behan

Stuff.co.nz

As a biography, it glosses over a lot, but goes to the heart of Brown's charisma, his music and the trauma that drove the iconic performer to such high highs and low lows.

Jun 10, 2021

Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

One big chunk of funk with a gold standard performance from Boseman and music that will make you want to... er... get on up.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 1, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

James Brown (Chadwick Boseman) was born in extreme poverty in 1933 South Carolina and survived abandonment, abuse and jail to become one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He joined a gospel group as a teenager, but the jazz and blues along the "chitlin' circuit" became his springboard to fame. Although his backup musicians came and went, Brown retained the ability to mesmerize audiences with his music, signature moves and sexual energy.

Director: Tate Taylor
Executive Producer: Peter Afterman, Trish Hofmann, Jez Butterworth, John Butterworth, John Norris, Anna Culp
Screenwriter: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Jagged Films, Brian Grazer
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Drug Use|Some Strong Language|Violent Situations)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 2014, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $30.5M
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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