I am not a Michael Jackson fan, let’s get this straight. I didn’t cry when he “left”, I do know some of his music, but I am not a pop listener either. I go more towards progressive or sympho rock, so pop is far down on my choices list. And still I was intrigued.

When the “movie” started I was happy to see that we’re seeing footage with him and not some movie where an actor is playing his role (yes, I was that uninformed to not really know what’s going on in the movie). Saw some dancers do their best to be chosen for the shows, smiled when they said it’s a chance of a lifetime. Yes, it was.

Saw some of the “action” and rehearsals and found myself really enjoying the movie. They would work on any aspect and “MJ” was very strict with anything you can think of. Still his almost whispered voice and feeble speech made me realize the guy was never a “man’s man”, the type of guy who dominates with his attitude. He was licking a lollypop in once scene and, seeing him dressed like that and with that face, I laughed thinking ‘what a weirdo’. But the “kid” like guy was actually knowing his stuff. He knew his music well and I loved his ingenious solutions to make that one more step towards something special.

He didn’t fool around, he danced side by side with the dancing team, sang even when he claimed he should “save” his voice, worked hard and demanded perfection, with that feeble voice and 20 “thank yous” and “god bless” when the team would take his ideas on board.

All the musicians were thrilled to work with him. Even if he did push them to the moon and back, one cannot but respect such a musician. He knew his “sh…t”, better than many other artists, had imagination and all kinds of solutions. And worked like crazy to get that perfect solution.

I am not a fan, will repeat this. I don’t really enjoy pop music, but I loved this movie and how we knew to do his job. In this era when people who look OK think they can make millions by howling like idiots, when all kinds of girls with silicone breasts and less talent than my dog claim to be stars, this guy had a huge talent and worked his minds off. When most people make songs from computer software effects and are actually making money with this crap, MJ was MAKING MUSIC, had an army of musicians with him and was able to pick the cream of the crop in most “jobs” he had to cover for such a huge endeavor.

I was left with a sour taste in my mouth though. I was sad to know this guy messed up his career and life in such way, sad to see his life ended when I felt he had a lot more to say in music. This Is It will make you spend some pleasant time listening to some of his best work and admiring a job well done and a guy for whom less than perfect wasn’t an option.