I Am Michael

Name: I Am Michael
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: January 27, 2017
Duration: 98 min
Rating: 56

2017

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Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews

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Mixed or average reviews based on 15 Ratings

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I Am Michael

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Movie Details & Credits

Brainstorm Media | Release Date: January 27, 2017

Summary: A gay activist and magazine founder is "saved" from his homosexuality after turning to God.

Director: Justin Kelly

Genre(s): Biography, Drama

Runtime: 98 min

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Critic Reviews

Tricia Olszewski

Jan 27, 2017

Franco’s fantastic here. He gives a fieriness to Michael as a gay advocate, then seamlessly slides into borderline madness as he starts accepting that the “voice” he hears is God’s. Michael’s confusion is palpable and intense. Read full review

Robert Abele

Jan 26, 2017

Kelly, who is credited with Stacey Miller for the screenplay, is shrewd enough to keep the movie from being a dramatized op-ed piece about betrayal, instead making roiling uncertainty, loneliness and melancholy the marquee emotions. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Jan 26, 2017

This is a movie you might want to talk about afterward, so try to see it with other people. Read full review

Boyd van Hoeij

Jan 28, 2015

Thankfully, the screenplay doesn’t portray the story in simple terms of good or evil, but that doesn’t mean that there’s quite enough nuance or insight to constantly elevate the material above the level of a well-made-but-TV-ready biopic. Read full review

Drew McWeeny

Jan 28, 2015

As a theatrical experience, I Am Michael is fairly forgettable, but it does manage to pierce in places, and it carries a cumulative charge that is bigger than any of the individual emotional pieces. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Feb 1, 2017

The performances are uniformly good and Kelly’s effort to tell an unbiased story is admirable, but I Am Michael ultimately delivers more in the way of talking points than drama. Read full review

Diego Semerene

Jan 24, 2017

Justin Kelly's film is more interested in rushing through the narrative's events than contemplating their environment. Read full review

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User Reviews

foxgrove

Feb 8, 2017

Whilst most gay films are often about coming out this unusual offering is about a man who decides to go back in. This problematic premise could so easily have wound up as superficial or patronising taking on as it does an element of the nature vs nurture debate. Questions are posed as toWhilst most gay films are often about coming out this unusual offering is about a man who decides to go back in. This problematic premise could so easily have wound up as superficial or patronising taking on as it does an element of the nature vs nurture debate. Questions are posed as to whether sexuality is actually a choice, and despite one's individual beliefs, asks you to seriously consider your answer. Thankfully, due to a screenplay that is interestingly provocative and a performance from James Franco that beautifully walks a tightrope of believability, the film is an unqualified success. Franco plays Michael, a man rejecting his homosexuality after discovering god. Giving a complex and nuanced performance in another fascinating role choice that pushes his own boundaries, Franco is key to the film's credibility. Both the character and the story feel totally authentic which is no small feat given the material. True story or not, in less accomplished hands events played out could have come over as simply glib and contrived.
The film also touches on issues of faith. Religion feeds the story and one has to acknowledge that despite the good intentions that are implicit through one's faith, it is also these unbending individual beliefs that are responsible for so many of the world's problems. Whilst the film, thankfully, doesn't delve in to this arena, a rather telling ending certainly suggests that all is not what it seems for Michael and his new found vocation.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Meth-dude

Sep 11, 2017

The movie had a very interesting story and great acting performances, but unfortunately, the pacing was a little bit off, the movie was boring at times and it really just scratched the surface of the story. If you wanted to know more about Michael Glatze, you're better off reading the booksThe movie had a very interesting story and great acting performances, but unfortunately, the pacing was a little bit off, the movie was boring at times and it really just scratched the surface of the story. If you wanted to know more about Michael Glatze, you're better off reading the books about him.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Jul 10, 2018

The enormously inconstant James Franco offers a solid interpretation in a drama that fails to capture the complexity of its subject and also fails to be more convincing.
I believe the fault lies in the director and the script rather than the actor because the presentation is good but theThe enormously inconstant James Franco offers a solid interpretation in a drama that fails to capture the complexity of its subject and also fails to be more convincing.
I believe the fault lies in the director and the script rather than the actor because the presentation is good but the depth is laughable.

I think it deserves the opportunity to be seen but I understand that it's difficult to have a wider audience.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

tibzoid

Mar 27, 2017

Gay guy here -- this movie did nothing for me. I found it dull and simple. The curse of gay cinema strikes again. Don't bother watching it, reading the Sears catalogue is more interesting.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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