A tribute to Michael Jackson and his influence - but nothing about his sad demise

Spike Lee's Showtime documentary, Michael Jackson's Journal from Motown to Off the Wall (whew), is really a hagiography - an examination of Jackson's extraordinary skills, not only as a dancer but also as a lead singer with a pretty wide range and as a composer and arranger, and on his influence on a generation of pop starts and composers. What we get is some good archival footage of the early MJ as leader and star persona of the Jackson 5, short clips from interviews with MJ as a preteen and a teenage star, concert clips showing the evolution of his style from bubble-gum pop to more advanced and complex lyrics and beat of the disco and post-disco eras, and many, many interviews w/ not only rock/pop music singers, composers, choreographers, journalists but also two of MJ's brothers, his parents, and even some devotees from other fields - notably, Kobe Bryant - Spike Lee calling in many chits on this one. I felt that too many of these interviews covered the same ground, and some were cut so short they were headlines more than analysis - could have used more of and stayed more with the few who really had insight into what made his style unique and how he pushed the evolution of pop/rock to become more rhythmically and melodically complex (this firm makes a good comparison with the feature biopic about Brian Wilson, Love & Mercy, on the same musical themes though w/ different treatment). If you're looking to learn anything at all about MJ's personality or his relationships with family and friends and spouse, about his medical condition, about his sad demise - this film has nothing to offer you, and though the influence of MJ may be a bit overstated - was he really that great as a singer? did others really follow his overly dramatic live presentations, or was he unique? - but it's a fine tribute and a reminder of where he came from, how far he came.