LOS ANGELES—Doubling down on the long-standing cinematic tradition of never letting pesky reality get in the way of a good time, Spike Lee this week championed the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ for deftly excluding all events, crimes, and allegations that might not fit neatly into the film’s 1988 endpoint.

“Look, this isn’t a documentary. It’s a celebration of sequined gloves, moonwalking, and the year 1988—plain and simple,” Lee said while sporting a Thriller-era red leather jacket, adding that the film’s creative team even considered omitting other non-1988 occurrences, such as the invention of the World Wide Web and the fall of the Berlin Wall. “If something happened in 1989, it might as well be in a parallel universe.”

The creative decision has drawn both praise and confusion from critics. “I also saw ‘Michael’ twice and loved how no one in the movie ever talks about uncomfortable stuff like taxes, rashes, or criminal trials,” enthused studio publicist Daphne Carmichael. “Finally, a movie brave enough to only address things that happened before Bush Sr. became president.”

Others suggested the approach could set a new standard for biopics. “I’m currently directing a Steve Jobs movie that stops abruptly in 1980, before he ever gets weird about turtlenecks,” revealed director Cole McHale. “It just… feels safer.”

Meanwhile, Lionsgate announced their next biopic, ‘JFK: The Camelot Years,’ will end approximately 11 minutes before November 22, 1963, to ensure a ‘joyous, bullet-free viewing experience.’