This Is It ( *** )

October 28, 2009 11:38 a.m. EST

112 minutes

In theaters October 28, 2009

Rating: PG, Musical documentary

Well, if you're a big Michael Jackson fan, this is it.

The posthumous concert documentary, This Is It, is a self-described "glimpse" of the King of Pop preparing to perform that's been designed, as the film announces early on, "for the fans."

That tells you two things: that the memorable Michael Jackson standards (Billie Jean, Thriller, Beat It, Man in the Mirror, etc.) won't be ignored or omitted, and that nothing, whether documented or not, will be included that will be upsetting to those who cherish his memory.

In other words: this isn't journalism, it's entertainment. And Michael Jackson remains a mystery.

Jackson's sudden death this summer came while he was rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out concerts set to take place this summer in England. This Is It is a behind-the-scenes look at the iconic performer as he, his collaborators, and his crew rehearse a show between March and June of this year that was set to premiere at London's O2 Arena -- this following a decade during which Jackson never toured at all.

There are at least three reasons to see MJ's TII -- as a privileged observer with a backstage pass, as a participant in a final celebration, or as a gawker with morbid curiosity. But the film offers far more to viewers in the first two categories than those in the third. If you're in all three categories, by all means go.

The hour-and-three-quarters of actuality visuals has been culled from 120 hours of footage, some of it raw but most of it glossy and clear and fine, originally intended as something for the artists to watch so that they could critique and polish the upcoming show.

That mix of backstage B-roll and performed numbers renders the finished product somewhere between a concert and a documentary -- but much more like the former than the latter, given all the extended musical numbers.

As we watch, we cannot take our eyes off Jackson, and we're reminded of his performing gifts and the effect he had on fervent audiences throughout his storied on-stage career. Also of the degree of perfectionism to which he was obviously dedicated, as his micro-managing here makes clear.

But you also find yourself wondering whether anything you are watching contains insights into what was going on in his off-screen life, which was soon to end. There's no denying that This Is It is an admiring tribute to its leading player as well as a front-row seat at a final appearance and a chance for fans to celebrate him and say goodbye. But let's face it: our perverse curiosity about his life and his death are very much part of the targeted package here.

Still, this remains a narrow, focused portrait of the dancing-and-singing artist at work. Scour every frame to no avail: no hint of any other aspect of Jackson's life, certainly none of the lurid offstage occurrences, comes into play in the footage selected for inclusion.

The director is ex-choreographer Kenny Ortega (Newsies, Hocus Pocus, the High School Musical trilogy), who was also the director of the stage show and a longtime Jackson collaborator, having directed several of his tours.

Ortega mixes interviews, candid backstage footage, and rehearsal performances. But it's all there to showcase Jackson's gift. This music's irresistible, says the film, and Jackson is the music.

The film's most awkward section involves scenes of Jackson shot in black-and-white and meant to be interwoven with actual footage from decades-old movies featuring the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth, and Edward G. Robinson. Jackson, in costume or out, looks out of place, and the doc could and should have done without it.

But the rest of the film remains fascinating and entertaining, as was Jackson, who, for better or worse, was one of the most accomplished and celebrated performers in the history of show business.

Michael Jackson's This Is It is a docu-concert that does a fine job with the "This" even as you decide what the "it" is.