Leaving Neverland (2019) Reviews

• Highly Compelling

  tylerwoodrownichols2019-03-06

  I watched 'Leaving Neverland' last night and feel obligated to leave my opinion here to counter some of the negative "reviews" I've seen posted. It's obvious that at least half of these people didn't even watch the movie and just have an axe to grind with two people they see as "liars". If they had watched the movie, they would have seen an entire passage where they both addressed how they had lied in the past because they didn't want to admit to themselves that they had been abused. People tend to have oversimplified views of how child sexual abuse affects its victims. It's not at all unusual for decades to pass before people are able to come to terms with something that traumatic, there are many psychological defense mechanisms that can create obstacles along the way. The developing child brain is different than that of adults, and things that may immediately seem wrong to you or I can just be confusing to a child, and when they grow up it's difficult to integrate that. Aside from that, people need to magnify these obstacles by 1000 when you remember we are talking about someone who was basically elevated to the status of god, a living legend. As one of the men put it, he never had a suppressed memory he just didn't think that what happened between him and MJ was wrong because it was hard to admit that he'd be taken advantage of by his hero. All you need to do is look at how much abuse is being hurled at these guys online, I've seen everything from people calling them liars, losers who are just bitter they aren't as "successful" as MJ (some of the most juvenile BS I've ever read), desperate guys who just want their 15 minutes of fame to further their own careers (one guy has spent an entire career working with incredibly famous musicians, and besides, who would want to be famous for being molested as a child? Who's career has ever taken off because of that?), imbeciles saying their parents are worse than MJ (the parents' culpability is debatable, but it's not debatable that molesting kids is the more damaging action). That's just stuff off the top of my head. Imagine how hard it must be to go public against someone when you know that this kind of vitriol is going to be inbound? And this is 10 years after he died, it would have been worse if he was still alive. And besides, it's not just the men in the documentary, it's their entire extended families. You can see first hand how this has affected ALL of them, not just the victims. That's really what made it compelling for me, hearing everyone in the family tell their story. Are their families lying too (if they were, they deserve Oscar nominations), because they want their sons to be world-famous child abuse victims? Or are the sons just tearing their families apart with lies because fooling people into believing they're abuse victims is just so incredibly important to them? Just apply Occam's Razor, people. The explanation that requires the fewest leaps of faith and assumptions is that, yes, these guys were abused by MJ. Plus, I would like to know how tf can anyone listen to those creepy recordings of MJ calling the guy "Little One" and not hear the infatuation in his voice? Shame on all the people here writing off these two guys because they lied in the past. They'd rather keep believing a convenient lie, than finally hear the truth.

• Watch both parts before you write your opion

  jaredosburn2019-03-06

  I feel like this documentary was very well done. I came into this thinking this would be some more BS and it was just a way to tarnish MJ life without him being able to defend himself. Well after watching both parts I 100 percent believe this happened to them. For everyone saying there is no evidence and no proof. Did you actually watch it? How many boys need to come forward with the same exact story? Why would maids and people who work on the property and drivers need to lie on their behalf? What did they need to gain? The workers weren't trying to get any money. Think about this. How do you feel like it is ok for a grown man to have a 7 year old boy sleep in his hotel room alone or all the other younger boys sleep in his room alone? In what shape or form is that ok? Is that not proof or evidence in itself? The maid even said she saw them naked taking showers together. So was it one big conspiracy to just tarnish his name? When everyone keeps saying that they testified on his behalf so they must be lying now. Think about this. Wade Robson was 22 at the time with a gf and had a good career in the music industry. MJ had a relationship with him since he was 7 and had groomed him on what to say and he felt love toawards MJ. He even lied to his family and his gf about everything. He didn't even want to testify but he was subpoenaed. He knew MJ his whole life and even knew his kids. He didn't want to see MJ go to jail. He felt like is was a relationship and friendship and didn't feel like he was abused. This is what abusers do to their victims and their families. They become really close and manipulate the parents into trusting them as well. Both of these men are now in their 30s and finally have the courage to speak up. Some victims never speak up because of the shame and embarrassment they feel. You can feel however you want about MJ or this documentary but when you look at the facts and even court documents and everyone with the same story that's not just a coincidence or a conspiracy. The fact that he had young boys sleeping with him alone is enough for me to believe them. Watch both parts all the way through before you just automatically assume they are lying. Honestly I hope more people have the courage to speak up about this now. Some will take it to their graves and that happens to victims. I commend these two brave men for finally having the courage to speak up and tell their story. I don't feel like they are doing it to hurt MJ I feel like they are doing it to help others who go through or have gone through this type of abuse and are never able to speak out about it.

• How can anyone deny the possibility of this happening?

  brandonhyl2019-03-06

  I wouldn't consider myself a diehard MJ fan but as a child growing up in the 80's I understood the super star power that MJ had. I get why these families were awestruck by MJ wanting them to be a part of his family. Ultimately it blinded them from the sick realities of MJ's own struggles with pedophilia. This film did a great job at laying out the facts and focusing on the two men and their experiences. Anyone that actually watches this movie will have a tough time denying the stories from these two men.

• I was molested and this reminds me of my experiences

  digitalbeachbum2019-03-04

  When I was ten a friend of the family molested me. Everything I am hearing in Part 1 is exactly what the molester told me. There are so many similarities, that I got a shudder down my spine when I thought, "that's what happened to me". I didn't have a extremely wealthy person buy me gifts all the time, but the molestation events were exactly the same. The tricks, the comments, the experience. I liked Micheal Jackson as an entertainer. When I heard all those stories, I didn't want to believe them. I gave the benefit of doubt to him. I thought the stories were parents who were seeking money. The documentary can be slow and it has a lot of shots in a slower motion. It is very touching, very emotional. It is very sad. I don't think I'll ever listen to a Micheal Jackson song again. He was a sick person. He was extremely unhealthy mentally, spiritually and physically. I feel for these men. I know what they are thinking. The shudder down your spine when you think about the molester touching you. Even thought it happened twenty, thirty or forty years ago, you still shudder at the thought of them touching you. I can't believe the Jackson family didn't know about this issue. Shame on you Michael, shame on you the family. (edit) After watching the second episode, it shows the perfect storm created. What happens when a person is so corrupted with a perverted mind but on the outside they are wealthy, surrounded by lawyers and giving so much to the community. How could children, who were apparently brain washed with gifts, money and job opportunities, grow up and speak negatively against a person who they thought loved them? There is no doubt in my mind. Michael Jackson was a child molester.

• Why all the hate in trying to find the truth ?

  hampersnow-289052019-03-04

  It is obvious this documentary is going to divide people. I have to admit I went into it doubting these 2 men's stories although I've always believed Jackson was a sick man hiding in plain sight. The 4 hours feel like a very long 4 hours, and really could have used some editing. It could have been cut by an hour if they had not included so many tiny details that really have nothing to do with the allegations, but do paint a very complete portrait of all the people involved. In this case, the story goes way beyond these 2 men and includes, wives, children, parents. siblings and the world Jackson lived in. I came out the other end of the 4 hours believing these men, because otherwise I'd have to believe that everyone known to them was in on some gigantic conspiracy and I don't believe that . The great part about this documentary is that it is about so much more then child molestation. The parents who would allow this, the pursuit of fame at any cost, the destruction of families, what it means to put celebrity on a pedestal, the worship of one man to the point of stupidity, the whole affair is very real and horribly ugly. As a look at how low we have sunk as a society this documentary is a must see.