by Josh Sewell
Michael
(Rated PG-13 for some thematic material, language and smoking. Opens in theaters on April 24.)
The premise: Screenwriter John Logan and director Antoine Fuqua craft this highly anticipated biopic chronicling the rise of Michael Jackson (played by Jafaar Jackson, the artist’s nephew), one of the most influential legends in pop music history. It traces his journey from leading the Jackson Five to becoming the biggest entertainer in the world.
The verdict: Within the first few minutes of this soulless, deeply cynical take on the King of Pop, I thought about John Travolta’s line in Pulp Fiction when his character visits a restaurant staffed with movie star lookalikes. “I think it’s like a wax museum with a pulse.”
Yes, Jackson’s nephew looks a lot like him and perfectly recreates his dance moves. But the family empire is so involved that everything is sanitized beyond recognition, meaning Michael has no personality, no flaws and never behaves in a way that might jeopardize album and merchandising sales. He’s basically the Kool-Aid Man or the Coca-Cola polar bear.
Fuqua doesn’t even try to be subtle about it. Michael abruptly cuts to black while he’s performing “Bad” in the late 1980s so it doesn’t have to acknowledge anything horrific that may or may not have occurred over the next 20 years. The entire project is an expensive cinematic version of “other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” (It’s also jarring that anyone who declined to participate is literally erased from the narrative – Janet Jackson doesn’t exist in this universe.)
While the film is stacked with great actors like Colman Domingo, Nia Long and Miles Teller in supporting roles, they’re all buried under tons of makeup and bad wigs that prevent them from conveying anything that could be mistaken for human emotion. Oh, and did I mention a distracting CGI version of Bubbles the chimp that looks straight out of a Pixar cartoon?
Yeah, the music’s still amazing. But the movie surrounding it is garbage.
Grade: F
I Swear
(Rated R for language throughout and some violence. Opens in select theaters on April 24.)
The premise: In this inspiring true story, John Davidson (played by Scott Ellis Watson as a kid and Robert Aramayo as an adult) begins exhibiting symptoms of Tourette Syndrome in the 1980s and spends the next several decades managing his condition. Battling prejudice and misunderstanding with education, Davidson helps countless others with Tourette’s find ways to live a more “normal” life – whatever that word means.
(Rated PG-13 for some thematic material, language and smoking. Opens in theaters on April 24.)
The premise: Screenwriter John Logan and director Antoine Fuqua craft this highly anticipated biopic chronicling the rise of Michael Jackson (played by Jafaar Jackson, the artist’s nephew), one of the most influential legends in pop music history. It traces his journey from leading the Jackson Five to becoming the biggest entertainer in the world.
The verdict: Within the first few minutes of this soulless, deeply cynical take on the King of Pop, I thought about John Travolta’s line in Pulp Fiction when his character visits a restaurant staffed with movie star lookalikes. “I think it’s like a wax museum with a pulse.”
Yes, Jackson’s nephew looks a lot like him and perfectly recreates his dance moves. But the family empire is so involved that everything is sanitized beyond recognition, meaning Michael has no personality, no flaws and never behaves in a way that might jeopardize album and merchandising sales. He’s basically the Kool-Aid Man or the Coca-Cola polar bear.
Fuqua doesn’t even try to be subtle about it. Michael abruptly cuts to black while he’s performing “Bad” in the late 1980s so it doesn’t have to acknowledge anything horrific that may or may not have occurred over the next 20 years. The entire project is an expensive cinematic version of “other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” (It’s also jarring that anyone who declined to participate is literally erased from the narrative – Janet Jackson doesn’t exist in this universe.)
While the film is stacked with great actors like Colman Domingo, Nia Long and Miles Teller in supporting roles, they’re all buried under tons of makeup and bad wigs that prevent them from conveying anything that could be mistaken for human emotion. Oh, and did I mention a distracting CGI version of Bubbles the chimp that looks straight out of a Pixar cartoon?
Yeah, the music’s still amazing. But the movie surrounding it is garbage.
Grade: F
(Rated R for language throughout and some violence. Opens in select theaters on April 24.)
The premise: In this inspiring true story, John Davidson (played by Scott Ellis Watson as a kid and Robert Aramayo as an adult) begins exhibiting symptoms of Tourette Syndrome in the 1980s and spends the next several decades managing his condition. Battling prejudice and misunderstanding with education, Davidson helps countless others with Tourette’s find ways to live a more “normal” life – whatever that word means.
The verdict: It’s a shame that most Americans’ introduction to Davidson is through the BAFTA debacle that made international headlines earlier this year. The film about his life, written and directed by Kirk Jones, explains why it was practically a miracle he was in that room with international movie stars to begin with.
Even though the film assumes a standard biopic structure, all the actors elevate the material and aim directly at viewers’ heartstrings. Watson and Aramayo are both outstanding as John, putting a human face on a condition that has mostly been a punchline since the first case of Tourette’s was reported in the early 1800s. Although it’s a showy role, the two actors find the kind soul underneath the character’s tics and cursing.
Maxine Peake is pure joy as John’s adoptive mom, while Shirley Henderson brings a chilling complexity to the proceedings as his birth mother. Peter Mullan, although he’s only in the movie for a handful of scenes, is terrific as a local rec center manager who takes a chance on John and gives him a job that changes his life.
I Swear is playing on a handful of screens in the metro Atlanta area and I recommend seeking it out this weekend. It’s an actual film for grown-ups in a sea of standard Hollywood fare, so this is a chance to send a message with your dollars.
Grade: B+
The Christophers
(Rated R for language. Now playing in select theaters.)
The premise: Ian McKellen plays Julian Sklar, a legendary London painter who has drifted into self-imposed seclusion. His two estranged children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning), concerned about their lack of inheritance, hire Lori (Michaela Coel), a struggling young painter, to pose as a prospective assistant so she can locate and complete – aka forge – a series of unfinished pieces hidden away in his attic.
The verdict: Steven Soderbergh is one of my favorite filmmakers, so it’s great to see him on such a winning streak the last 18 months or so. Last year’s Presence and Black Bag were both terrific in their own ways, but the director has always had an indie sensibility even when making blockbuster fare like the Ocean’s trilogy.
He’s back in that zone with The Christophers, a quiet dramedy written by his frequent collaborator Ed Solomon. It feels more like a play than a movie, which is a total compliment.
Despite the brief runtime (it’s well under two hours), the main characters seem like real people from the start, and they both complete a journey of healing and maturity. Even better, Soderbergh and Solomon eschew the usual clichés and emotional shortcuts that indies often rely on.
McKellen is outstanding as the bitter, aging Sklar, a welcome reminder that the legendary actor is capable of playing more than comic book villains and wizards. I’d love to see him in the Best Actor conversation during the next awards season, if enough people see the film and remember it later this year.
Coel, who’s having a busy month between The Christophers and Mother Mary, is also terrific, holding her own against McKellen in their frequent scenes together. Their chemistry is evident as the characters’ relationship continually evolves, which keeps viewers on their toes throughout.
A film like The Christophers is never going to be a Project Hail Mary-sized blockbuster, but it’s a lovely bit of storytelling that deserves to be seen by a bigger audience. It’s the best film of 2026 so far, so keep it on your radar as it expands to more theaters and eventually hits streaming.
Grade: A
Even though the film assumes a standard biopic structure, all the actors elevate the material and aim directly at viewers’ heartstrings. Watson and Aramayo are both outstanding as John, putting a human face on a condition that has mostly been a punchline since the first case of Tourette’s was reported in the early 1800s. Although it’s a showy role, the two actors find the kind soul underneath the character’s tics and cursing.
Maxine Peake is pure joy as John’s adoptive mom, while Shirley Henderson brings a chilling complexity to the proceedings as his birth mother. Peter Mullan, although he’s only in the movie for a handful of scenes, is terrific as a local rec center manager who takes a chance on John and gives him a job that changes his life.
I Swear is playing on a handful of screens in the metro Atlanta area and I recommend seeking it out this weekend. It’s an actual film for grown-ups in a sea of standard Hollywood fare, so this is a chance to send a message with your dollars.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for language. Now playing in select theaters.)
The premise: Ian McKellen plays Julian Sklar, a legendary London painter who has drifted into self-imposed seclusion. His two estranged children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning), concerned about their lack of inheritance, hire Lori (Michaela Coel), a struggling young painter, to pose as a prospective assistant so she can locate and complete – aka forge – a series of unfinished pieces hidden away in his attic.
The verdict: Steven Soderbergh is one of my favorite filmmakers, so it’s great to see him on such a winning streak the last 18 months or so. Last year’s Presence and Black Bag were both terrific in their own ways, but the director has always had an indie sensibility even when making blockbuster fare like the Ocean’s trilogy.
He’s back in that zone with The Christophers, a quiet dramedy written by his frequent collaborator Ed Solomon. It feels more like a play than a movie, which is a total compliment.
Despite the brief runtime (it’s well under two hours), the main characters seem like real people from the start, and they both complete a journey of healing and maturity. Even better, Soderbergh and Solomon eschew the usual clichés and emotional shortcuts that indies often rely on.
McKellen is outstanding as the bitter, aging Sklar, a welcome reminder that the legendary actor is capable of playing more than comic book villains and wizards. I’d love to see him in the Best Actor conversation during the next awards season, if enough people see the film and remember it later this year.
Coel, who’s having a busy month between The Christophers and Mother Mary, is also terrific, holding her own against McKellen in their frequent scenes together. Their chemistry is evident as the characters’ relationship continually evolves, which keeps viewers on their toes throughout.
A film like The Christophers is never going to be a Project Hail Mary-sized blockbuster, but it’s a lovely bit of storytelling that deserves to be seen by a bigger audience. It’s the best film of 2026 so far, so keep it on your radar as it expands to more theaters and eventually hits streaming.
Grade: A
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
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