Brewchies At The Movies: "This Is It"

Thirty minutes ago I had one of the best cinematic experiences of my life.  I saw "This is It" for the first of what I'm certain will be many times to come.  I bought my tickets online weeks before the film even opened, mainly because I'm lazy and don't like to wait, but I was also scared that they'd sell out and I'd miss my chance to see the film on the big screen.  I'm also one of those go big or don't go at all types, so if the tickets go on sale early, I stalk the website and am first in line to buy mine.  I know.  It's a problem and I'm fully aware I have it.

When I arrived at the theatre, I was giddy yet cautious not to let my tissues get too far away from me.  All week long I'd thought this would be a great piece of cinema but one that would leave me in tears, thinking about how sad Michael Jackson's demise was.  Or, how pitiful his final days were.  Boy, was I wrong.  Each moment of this film took me back to 1985, or 1990, or a school dance, or an awards show.  I thought about where I was when I saw him perform Billie Jean for the first time on TV, or how the Motown 25 VHS tape still lives in my grandparents' house even though both of them are long gone.

Each song took me to exactly where I was when I first heard it.  I was captivated and awed by the sheer genius of Michael and the people with which he surrounded himself.  The ideas they crafted.  The way they recreated the major videos in Jackson's catalog, giving them a modern feel but staying true to the classics we all love.  Can you imagine what a 3D Thriller would have looked like?  Well, I can now.

I didn't cry (although things got a little shaky during Earth Song and Man In The Mirror), nor did I wallow too long in pity or sadness.  I left the theatre -not saddened- but reminded how brilliant this man was.  I left the theatre wanting more but yet satisfied that I'd had him in my life for 30+ years.  I even left the theatre wanting to recycle more!  (You'll get it once you see it)

So, don't be sad for MJ.  Don't mourn for MJ.  Mourn for us if we don't heed his warnings about healing the world.  Mourn for us if we don't stop to appreciate the love we all have in our lives... the love he tried to share with the world.  Mourn for us if we don't walk out those theatre doors with a bop in our heads, a song in our hearts and a glide in our steps.

That was it for him.  But, this film reminds us, it doesn't have to be for the rest of us.

Thanks MJ!

P.S. STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS!