By Gary

Discover Whitney Houston’s rise to international stardom in this film written by Anthony McCarten the man behind Bohemian Rhapsody and The Two Popes.

The biopic is described as: “A joyous, emotional, heart-breaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, one of the greatest female R&B pop vocalists of all time, tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.”

While it’s obvious that Naomi Ackie doesn’t look like Whitney, Ackie did an amazing job.

She nailed Whitney’s mannerisms and body language and Houston’s voice is used for the majority of the singing in this film.

Naomi Ackie’s lip syncing to Whitney’s voice is really good and I believe she does sing briefly in a couple of scenes.

Stanley Tucci playing Clive Davis was spot on as well.

What made the movie come to life were the styling, outfits, makeup, and hair while the music video sets were all spot on.

All the staff who worked on them deserve awards.

Critics say there should’ve been more focus on her struggles and what’s not known. I disagree because the world already knows too much.

She did not like her personal life being all out there. Most of all, she wanted to be remembered for her music.

The movie respected that by presenting what’s already known, all the ups and the downs, and by raising her legacy and achievements which were once heavily overshadowed by her struggles.

I loved this movie. I actually didn’t know a bulk of things going on behind the scenes of her life, so it was very eye-opening to me and heart-breaking.

You could see almost from the very beginning, unfortunately, how things and people in her life would build up until she was torn down.

The Director Kasi Lemmons has put together a tightly edited film that remains entertaining throughout and touches on all subjects of Whitney’s personal and professional life, including her relationship with alleged girlfriend Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams).

Also, her relationship and marriage to Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders).

Throughout this film it brings back memories of pop fashion moments from the 90’s, mostly.

More specifically, for me, it was the Superbowl outfit and the one she wore at the Nelson Mandela concert.

This film was very enjoyable and the music throughout is obviously amazing. 

My Rating: 8/10