Get On Up

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2:42

Get On Up

PG-13

2014

2h 18m

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

167 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

James Brown (Chadwick Boseman) was born in extreme poverty in 1933 South Carolina and survived abandonment, abuse and jail to become one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He joined a gospel group as a teenager, but the jazz and blues along the "chitlin' circuit" became his springboard to fame. Although his backup musicians came and went, Brown retained the ability to mesmerize audiences with his music, signature moves and sexual energy.

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Critics Consensus

With an unforgettable Chadwick Boseman in the starring role, Get On Up offers the Godfather of Soul a fittingly dynamic homage.

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Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

03/21/2017

Warts and all, in fits and starts, finally the Hardest Working Man in Show Business gets his story told.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

11/23/2014

4/5

Magically, unexpectedly, most funkily, Get on Up feels fresh and crisp as the Godfather of Soul's keenest moves.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

11/23/2014

4/5

It's stirring scattershot stuff, made with a fine eye for period detail and an evident passion for the music, which remains the driving force throughout.

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Toussaint Egan

Polygon

10/22/2021

Get on Up is a thoroughly entertaining drama with Boseman shining at its center.

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Alex Behan

The Post NZ

06/10/2021

As a biography, it glosses over a lot, but goes to the heart of Brown's charisma, his music and the trauma that drove the iconic performer to such high highs and low lows.

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

02/01/2021

4/5

One big chunk of funk with a gold standard performance from Boseman and music that will make you want to... er... get on up.

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Tyler S

@tylerking24 Jan 21

For some reason, this movie just looked really really good. Also, Chadwick nailed it. On the flip side, I felt like it lacked consistency and a bit of substance, For this being nearly 2.5 hours, it felt slow. Also, the constant time jumps made it a little hard to follow along.

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donnie m

Dec 14

i Loved this movie and the last scene when he sang Try Me-i was crying and had 'good chills' all over-i've got them wile typing this because that feeling came back

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Chase J

@chasez Aug 23

Despite a few film gaffs, Chadwick Boseman inspires and perspires as the electric Godfather of Soul, telling his great story that deserves eminence in 20th Century Americana music.

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Bert C

07/06/2024

This film captures James Brown's boundless energy. What some reviewers call chaotic is the exuberant charisma of its main character. For those of us who lived through the James Brown experience, this movie is remarkable in conveying the man and his music. The man was larger than life, and Chadwick Boseman brilliantly and faithfully makes him live.

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Jonathan G

02/19/2024

"Get On Up" is a thunderous yet conventional biopic. The film would jump randomly through different decades in a certainly off order, the direction wasn't that great, and this falls into the same formulaic pitfalls that biopics usually fall into. Viola Davis was severely underused, but the crown jewel of this film is James Brown himself. Definitively his best performance of all time, Chadwick Boseman brought the icon to life in the most electrifying way possible.

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Cathy J

@jewels4jesus 01/05/2023

My husband really enjoyed this movie. The acting was good and I found it kind of interesting but also depressing, so once is good enough for me.

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Tate Taylor

Director

Chadwick Boseman

James Brown

Nelsan Ellis

Bobby Byrd

Dan Aykroyd

Ben Bart

Viola Davis

Susie Brown

Lennie James

Joe Brown

Get on Up: Official Clip - We're Together or We Ain't

2:40

Get on Up: Official Clip - Soul Power

2:22

Get on Up: Official Clip - Papa Don't Take No Mess

2:19

Get on Up: Official Clip - A Brand New Bag

2:12

Get on Up: Official Clip - The Night Train

2:09

Get on Up: Official Clip - James Brown and His Famous Flames

3:07

Get on Up: Official Clip - The Battle Royale

2:56

Get on Up: Official Clip - It Don't Move, It Don't Move Nobody

3:19

Get on Up: Official Clip - Welcome to America

3:12

Get on Up: Official Clip - Settle Down Captain

2:14

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Get on Up: Trailer 1

2:42

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Synopsis

James Brown (Chadwick Boseman) was born in extreme poverty in 1933 South Carolina and survived abandonment, abuse and jail to become one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He joined a gospel group as a teenager, but the jazz and blues along the "chitlin' circuit" became his springboard to fame. Although his backup musicians came and went, Brown retained the ability to mesmerize audiences with his music, signature moves and sexual energy.

Director: Tate Taylor
Producer: Brian Grazer, Mick Jagger, Victoria Pearman, Erica Huggins
Screenwriter: John-Henry Butterworth
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Jagged Films, Brian Grazer
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Drug Use|Some Strong Language|Violent Situations)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 2014, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $30.5M
Runtime: 2h 18m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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