Chadwick Boseman: Every Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Making a biopic about the Godfather of Soul was never going to work without a perfect lead star, and in Chadwick Boseman director Tate Taylor found the only person would could ever pull it off.

Boseman stars as James Brown in a musical drama that charts the icon's childhood, rise to stardom, personal struggles and involvement in the civil rights movement of the 60s. The film is told in a risky but satisfying nonlinear manner, moving through time to focus on Brown's most defining and personal moments.

The cast is rounded out by Viola Davis, Craig Robinson, Lennie James, Nelsan Ellis and Octavia Spencer, all of whom work wonders to add depth and heart to Boseman's searing headline performance.

Looking back over his career, James Brown was probably Boseman's most difficult person to play, given the musical legend's complexities and larger-than-life personality, but Boseman makes Get On Up work as only he ever could, solidifying himself as a star long before he ventured into the MCU and shaped a generation.