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‘Leaving Neverland’ Is Hard To Watch — But Important To See

Critic David Bianculli writes: 

Leaving Neverland, by documentary filmmaker Dan Reed, is a tough show to watch — but it should be seen. Its central question is whether Michael Jackson used his fame and money to seduce young boys and their families into enabling a hidden pattern of serial pedophilia.

That charge was denied strongly this week by members of the Jackson family, who have sued HBO for $100 million. They claim that the two men interviewed at the core of Leaving Neverland are only in it for the money from lawsuits, and, before changing their stories, once defended Jackson against similar charges in court.

Which they did. Wade Robson won first prize at a Michael Jackson imitation dance contest in Australia when he was five, and soon ended up on stage a few nights during the real Jackson’s tour for his album Bad, showing off his mini-Michael dance moves. Another young boy, James Safechuck, was a Simi Valley kid who did some acting work in commercials — including a 1980s Pepsi commercial in which he meets Jackson in his dressing room.

When Jackson was put on trial for charges of sexual abuse against minors — he was acquitted in 2005 — both Robson and Safechuck denied Jackson had done anything to them as young boys. In Leaving Neverland, they change their stories — and explain why.

Photo: Carlo Allegri/Getty Images