Spike Lee defends Michael in the face of criticism and controversy

The filmmaker, a former friend of the King of Pop, “loved” the biopic which is currently shining at the box office.

Massive public success but widely shared critical reception…

The biopic Michael smashed at the box office with more than $423 million worldwide, including $183.8 million in North America. But part of the press criticizes him for a blind spot: the absence of accusations of sexual abuse targeting Michael Jackson. A criticism that Spike Lee does not understand.

In an interview with CNN, the director defends the film, which he says he saw “twice” And “loved it“. And he says:

“Michael stops in 1988, before the first accusations in 1993. So it makes no sense to criticize their absence, since this part of his life does not correspond to the chronology of the film. If you are critical and you complain about all that, it makes no sense: the film stops in 1988! What you’re talking about, these accusations, all of that didn’t happen until later in his life. So you’re criticizing the film for something you’d like to see, but it doesn’t work in the film timeline. But the public came. All over the world people showed their love.”

A remark obviously marked by a certain bad faith, since the reproaches aimed at Michael are precisely linked to its chronology, which stops in 1988, carefully avoiding mentioning the scandals that followed. Moreover, a legal constraint forced the studio to review its plans: originally, the biopic addressed the first accusations in its last act. Problem: an agreement made at the time with Jordan Chandler, one of Jackson’s accusers, prohibited any mention or representation of his case on screen. Result: the teams had to completely rethink the ending of the film, refocusing the story on the relationship between Jackson and his father.

But close to the King of Pop during his lifetime, Spike Lee saw Michael as a friend of the deceased and remembers him with emotion:

“I miss Michael. I miss Prince too. They are my brothers. I worked with them. They were magnificent people.”

Spike Lee directed the music video They Don’t Care About Us in 1996, as well as two documentaries dedicated to the star: Bad 25 And Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall.