Get On Up

Play trailer

2:42

Get On Up

PG-13

2014

2h 18m

Biography

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

167 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

James Brown 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Toussaint Egan

Polygon

10/22/2021

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

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

thiago S

@Thiagostone Mar 9

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

See more

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.

See more

donnie m

@RT64375194 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

See more

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.

See more

Bert C

@RT17398991 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.

See more

Jonathan G

@RT68175649 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.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

View more videos

Love & Mercy

90%

85%

Love & Mercy

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Love & Mercy

Beyond the Sea

43%

64%

Beyond the Sea

Watchlist

Big Eyes

72%

68%

Big Eyes

Watchlist

Jobs

27%

40%

Jobs

Watchlist

The Glass Castle

53%

70%

The Glass Castle

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Glass Castle

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Get on Up: Trailer 1

2:42

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

James Brown 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

Most Popular at Home Now