Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland

2017
6.2| 1h45m| en| More Info
Released: 29 May 2017 Released
Producted By: Lifetime
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Based on the best-selling book, Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days, and told through the eyes of Jackson's trusted bodyguards, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard. The movie will reveal firsthand the devotion Michael Jackson had to his children, and the hidden drama that took place during the last two years of his life.

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Reviews

Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!
RyothChatty ridiculous rating
Pluskylang Great Film overall
Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.
Pauline Lewis I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Navi was outstanding in his acting debut as Michael and was more realistic than many others I've seen in other documentaries etc. The story line was great. It was lovely to see the relationship between Michael and his security. It was also great to see Michaels sense of humour as well as his vulnerability. Navi's portrayal of the vulnerable and upset Michael was touching and brought a tear to my eyes. His relationship with his children was amazing and his protectiveness towards them. I would love to see Hollywood produce a blockbuster movie on MJ now. You have the best actor for the part as his singing and dancing is second to none and it's difficult to tell the difference between Michael and Navi if you are just listening to the track. This film was more of a success for the USA than many others about Michael. You've found your Michael in Navi. Let us all relive the King of Pop through him.
GG Conte As we get closer to the tenth anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, expect more projects like this to come out of the woodwork. With that said, I wasn't expecting much when the special was being promoted. There's been so many biographies and documentaries coming from all directions in the eight years he's been gone. Sadly, each story seems to contradict the others in some sort of way, so it was really tough to see what this special was going to do.The story is apparently based on a book, which I have yet to read. It does make me very interested in reading it. The story is told from two of his security guards, who became two of his very few trusted friends.We follow them and Jackson through the last stages of his life.The special shows him as a loving father, an overly nice individual, but still a stress-filled wreck because of his fame and legal past. An individual who's having trouble finding any sort of trust in anybody, and has been betrayed by those around him because of his legal history. It also explores his financial situation, someone who is rich but with no control over his finances because of his debt.The guards are actually on-screen more than Jackson's character, which is actually pretty effective. My main complaint on this special is that it is incredibly sanitized. They try way too hard to not offend anybody with it and seemed to purposely present it in a way that wouldn't lead to controversy, particularly with Jackson's estate, whom did not approve the special.That's not to say it's bad, it's actually pretty good. The performances are wonderful, with Navi shining in his portrayal of Michael Jackson. It's also well filmed, and it hits almost all the right notes emotionally. It does fall flat in places with its pace, but for the most part, it's well told. I have heard the book is far more detailed, but that's almost always the case when it comes to book adaptations.So overall, it's definitely okay to sit through. My only advise is not to go into it too overly hyped by expecting something as good as the 1992 miniseries, An American Dream and you'll be fine.
asrexproductions Before I talk about this film, let me give it some context by talking about who Michael Jackson was, from a historical perspective.Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album sold 46 MILLION albums. That's 46 times platinum. Not one. Not ten. 46. There is no album that has come close yet, unless you count his "Bad," which was once the #2 selling album of all time. I once read an article where they interviewed several record executives, on the condition of anonymity, to comment on the top artists in music that year (sometime in the 2010s). It became clear to me that the goal of the record industry is to recreate Michael Jackson. Madonna and Janet are female Michael Jackson. Usher and Chris Brown (before Brown screwed it up) are seen as "Michael Jackson types." So is Justin Timberlake. The Weekend. The whole music business in the latter part of the 20th century, was about trying to recreate Michael Jackson, as many times as it could.And how did he end up? Penniless and essentially alone, struggling to raise his children, according to this riveting film.MICHAEL JACKSON: SEARCHING FOR NEVERLAND (Dianne Houston, 2017) struck me as a heartbreaking chronicle of a person living strictly off of his fame, but unlike Kim Kardashian or Donald Trump, not being rewarded for it, just using it to survive. Told through the eyes of his personal bodyguards and assistants in the waning years of his life (Chad L. Coleman and Sam Adegoke), Michael Jackson (Navi) struggles to find a home where he can safely live with his children (Aidan Hanlon Smith, Taegen Burns, Michael Mourra) without having to dodge his agents, his fans, maniacal detractors, stalkers, and even his own family, all either trying to live off or destroy him. Throughout all of this, his bodyguards faithfully stay by his side out of pity, even when the money dries up and their own families doubt their sanity for staying so long in a job that simply doesn't pay. I feel the film makes it very clear that Jackson truly was a prisoner of his own success, long after he had stopped being successful. More oddity than King of Pop, the Michael Jackson of MICHAEL JACKSON: SEARCHING FOR NEVERLAND is a broken and tragic figure, buoyed by the love of his children and the last two people who seemed to care. For as the film notes in its final moments, for all the people that spoke highly of him at and after his funeral, no one was there when Jackson died, nor were there for him while he was going through it, struggling to raise his children as any single father might. To the film's credit, I felt it did a good job of showing Michael as flawed, even culpable for his own condition, but hardly deserving of what he got. I feel that it isn't the Michael Jackson story for the casual fan, rather it's a cautionary tale for those seeking to be the Michael Jackson of the future. Despite a performance by Navi that did leave something to be desired (he clearly had a British accent, doing what I felt was at best an adequate job of representing Michael), I personally feel that it effectively humanizes an individual considered a legend in his own time, and serves as a powerful commentary on the cult of celebrity. For me, MICHAEL JACKSON: SEARCHING FOR NEVERLAND is moving, mesmerizing, and difficult to forget.
Alexis Kyle At first honestly, I didn't think I was going to like this movie, because the last biopic of michael jackson from 2003 wasn't that great in my opinion. I smiled so much during the movie, that is amazing. I also had tissues with me just in case I was going to cry and when they mention michael's death at the end of the movie.... and the reactions and everything, you could say I spent a good 30 minutes crying afterwards. I really loved how they didn't ruin his name in this and they had truthful bodyguards. God bless..