Get On Up
Universal Pictures | Release Date: August 1, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 44 Critic Reviews
Positive:
32
Mixed:
11
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Total FilmAndrew LowryJan 9, 2015
Handsomely mounted and energetically played, this movie captures much of the real genius of James Brown... then obscures it with needless chronological fiddling. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottAug 1, 2014
Few of the film's secondary characters feel fully developed, with the possible exception of Nelsan Ellis' portrayal of Brown sidekick Bobby Byrd. Read full review
60
The DissolveKeith PhippsJul 30, 2014
The energy never flags, the film conveys a deep love of Brown’s music (which fills almost every scene), and Boseman remains magnetic whether onstage or in quiet moments. Read full review
58
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerAug 1, 2014
There is no law requiring a biopic to make “nice” with its subject, but Get On Up, which presents Brown almost entirely unflatteringly except as a performer, makes you wonder why the filmmakers (including Mick Jagger, one of its producers) took the trouble. Read full review
56
Film.comKate ErblandJul 30, 2014
Taylor’s film so egregiously picks and chooses from Brown’s life that the result is a holey and unsatisfying document that fails to give due respect to much of the singer’s life (especially the more unsavory stuff). Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonAug 1, 2014
Truth be told, Get on Up isn’t really interested in exploring how important Brown’s music was to any of the numerous styles it influenced. Instead, it just wants to play some of the big hits you love while ticking off a checklist of standard biopic milestones. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJul 31, 2014
This is all good movie material, so far as it goes ... but Get on Up can't go any further. Sometimes damaged people stay damaged, and sometimes popular artists make their contribution and then stay in one place forever. It's a big letdown for everybody, but in a biopic, it's poison. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranJul 31, 2014
Despite the linked advantages of generous helpings of the man's high octane music and a star performance by Chadwick Boseman that's little short of heroic, Get on Up is more frustrating than fulfilling, a disjointed film that suffers from having a more ambitious plan than it's got the ability to execute. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianStephen WhittyJul 31, 2014
Get On Up never finds its rhythm. Blame most of that on director Tate Taylor. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleWilliam GossJul 30, 2014
For better and worse, the story unfolds as the late Brown himself might have related it, scattered across time, told with more impulse than clarity. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineEric HendersonJul 29, 2014
As if taking a cue from its own title, the movie emphatically sets its sights on the upward trajectory of Brown's career. Read full review
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