The premature death of Chadwick Boseman due to colon cancer led to an international outpouring of grief. I had never seen a film with Boseman but I remembered how sad I was when Heath Ledger died much too young. People who knew Boseman gave eulogies that I would have given about Ledger, whose talent I admired deeply. So I wanted to see a film with Boseman. I chose the film about the musician James Brown.

Although I have never bought a James Brown record, his hits are omnipresent. I learned that he is one of the most frequently sampled musicians. Boseman’s acting is very good. I want to see his portrayal of a baseball player Jackie Robinson to get a sense of just how good he can play two entirely different characters. The script of the film left me a bit disappointed compared to Ray (a film about Ray Charles) or Walk the Line (a film about Jonny Cash). We learn very little about why James Brown was so good. We never watch him compose a song and struggle with making it work, makes it difficult to get a deeper understanding of how his musical creativity.