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.