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Get On Up

Play trailer 2:42 Poster for Get On Up PG-13 2014 2h 18m Biography Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 167 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
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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Get On Up

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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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Critics Reviews

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Dwight Brown National Newspaper Publishers Association 03/21/2017
Warts and all, in fits and starts, finally the Hardest Working Man in Show Business gets his story told. Go to Full Review
Tara Brady Irish Times 11/23/2014
4/5
Magically, unexpectedly, most funkily, Get on Up feels fresh and crisp as the Godfather of Soul's keenest moves. Go to Full Review
Mark Kermode Observer (UK) 11/23/2014
4/5
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. Go to Full Review
Toussaint Egan Polygon 10/22/2021
Get on Up is a thoroughly entertaining drama with Boseman shining at its center. Go to Full Review
Alex Behan The Post NZ 06/10/2021
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. Go to Full Review
Richard Crouse Richard Crouse 02/01/2021
4/5
One big chunk of funk with a gold standard performance from Boseman and music that will make you want to... er... get on up. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Chase J Aug 23 Despite a few film gaffs, Chadwick Boseman inspires and perspires as the electric Godfather of Soul, telling his great story that deserves eminence in 20th Century Americana music. See more Bert C 07/06/2024 This film captures James Brown's boundless energy. What some reviewers call chaotic is the exuberant charisma of its main character. For those of us who lived through the James Brown experience, this movie is remarkable in conveying the man and his music. The man was larger than life, and Chadwick Boseman brilliantly and faithfully makes him live. See more Jonathan G 02/19/2024 "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. See more Cathy J @jewels4jesus 01/05/2023 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. See more steve d 12/07/2022 The acting is great, and Chadwick Boseman should have been up for all the awards but nothing else transness normal biopic cliches. See more isla s 09/01/2022 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. See more Read all reviews
Get On Up

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Get On Up

Get on Up: Official Clip - We're Together or We Ain't Get on Up: Official Clip - We're Together or We Ain't 2:40 Get on Up: Official Clip - Soul Power Get on Up: Official Clip - Soul Power 2:22 Get on Up: Official Clip - Papa Don't Take No Mess Get on Up: Official Clip - Papa Don't Take No Mess 2:19 Get on Up: Official Clip - A Brand New Bag Get on Up: Official Clip - A Brand New Bag 2:12 Get on Up: Official Clip - The Night Train Get on Up: Official Clip - The Night Train 2:09 Get on Up: Official Clip - James Brown and His Famous Flames Get on Up: Official Clip - James Brown and His Famous Flames 3:07 Get on Up: Official Clip - The Battle Royale Get on Up: Official Clip - The Battle Royale 2:56 Get on Up: Official Clip - It Don't Move, It Don't Move Nobody Get on Up: Official Clip - It Don't Move, It Don't Move Nobody 3:19 Get on Up: Official Clip - Welcome to America Get on Up: Official Clip - Welcome to America 3:12 Get on Up: Official Clip - Settle Down Captain Get on Up: Official Clip - Settle Down Captain 2:14 View more videos
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Movie Info

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
Producer
Brian Grazer, Mick Jagger, Victoria Pearman, Erica Huggins
Screenwriter
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
Runtime
2h 18m
Sound Mix
Datasat, Dolby Digital
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