Whitney Houston

Ackie plays one of the most successful recording artists of all time alongside Stanley Tucci.

A year later, she appeared in the Steve McQueen film series Small Axe. Her impressive performance caught the eye of renowned British actor Idris Elba and he cast her in his directorial debut Yardie in 2018. [London](/topic/london).

Wanna dance to Whitney before I Wanna Dance With Somebody hits theaters? These tracks are well worth a spin.

[I Wanna Dance With Somebody](http://avclub.com/film/reviews/i-wanna-dance-with-somebody-2022), tries to detail Houston’s impact on the industry (and tragically, the industry’s impact on her). No one before and no one since has quite captured Whitney Houston’s kind of stardom. To this day, Houston’s first albums—her 1985 self-titled debut and 1987’s Whitney—are two of the biggest-selling records of all time.

You might think that playing a musical icon such as Whitney Houston would be the role of a lifetime for any performer – but I Wanna Dance with Somebody, ...

She continued: "The kind of heart of Whitney was found in the reading of the books, especially the ones written by Cissy Houston and Robyn Crawford – two kind of different points of view from two people that were very close to her. And that was kind of not what most of this film is, it's trying to figure out what her private world is." "There was a little bit of reluctance, you know," she said about first auditioning for the part. [subscribe now](http://radiotimes.com/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article). And you know, if they are hiring me, I need to trust that it's for a reason.'" "The books were the most useful because it was seeing Whitney through the eyes of people who were the closest to her," Ackie said.

"I'm not a shapeshifter, but I do know how to tell a good story," Naomi Ackie tells Newsweek's Parting Shot about the "win-win, lose-lose situation" of ...

And in that moment, I said to my sister, I was like, I feel like I'm a baby staring at a mountain. I feel like people even think of the title and think they know what they're about to see. I was aggressive sometimes in the way that I was like, stop making me do this. So a lot of the things I remember was when she was being shown as unhappy. I think at the time I was growing up around the time she really didn't like press. I take what I like and I leave what I don't. I guess the thing I was titillated by was how sweet and goofy she was. I think this [the movie] is a part of maybe undoing some of the work that happened to her, because of where she was, what she was going through in the time that she was extremely famous. I think telling a story—and the story to me about Whitney, if we can refer it that to our own lives—is about how to be kind to ourselves, how to work on our gift that we've been given, how to balance work and life. Her illness of addiction wasn't dealt with, there was an unkindness about empathizing what it must feel like to have so many people expect so much of you all the time, that maybe this is a small part of undoing some of that work. Her music was a part of my family and my friend's upbringing, talking about love and joy and God and these things that are ingrained in us so much that I even walked into this project, when I found out I got it, I remember saying to a friend that this too big. It was definitely a battle for me, because I think initially came in being like I have to be exactly like Whitney, I have to weigh the same as Whitney, I have to look exactly the same, every movement of my face has to be exactly recorded from a YouTube video.

Naomi Ackie has revealed that audiences will hear her own singing voice in the Whitney Houston biopic.

Sony Pictures' 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody,' stars South Philadelphia's Nafessa Williams as Whitney Houston's best friend, business manager, and lover.

I am grateful that I am able to be a vessel for teenage lesbians who can see themselves in my characters. There was a similarity, a sensibility, and a sensitivity that I was able to roll right into Robyn. I know what it’s like being a Black woman in America, to be under represented in real life and in the entertainment industry. She wants to dance with someone who truly and genuinely loves her. I Wanna Dance with Somebody closes with a reenactment of Houston’s dazzling performance of the Impossible Medley — “I Loves You Porgy,” “And I am Telling You,” and “I Have Nothing” — from the 1994 American Music Awards. And now as Robyn, I was able to explore the turmoil between Robyn and Bobby in my own way. It’s dope to see her story from the perspectives of two different women in her orbit. Sony Pictures’ I Wanna Dance with Somebody, the latest installment in the Whitney Houston biopic universe, explores Crawford and Houston’s love affair. I’m definitely grateful to the Whitney universe of movies. Houston’s love affair with Crawford, is celebrated in the film. The night Davis discovered Houston at a West Village nightclub in the 1980s, he proclaimed Houston the voice of her generation. “We get to know Whitney and fully see who she is,” Williams said.

Naomi Ackie is excellent in the title role and the film delivers all the singer's big hits, but it swerves the difficult questions.

[her amazing performance of the national anthem](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtdhxqGmWKU&ab_channel=IconicMusic) at the 1991 Super Bowl. Was she a gospel/R&B genius whose agonies arose from being a pop princess for white audiences? Documentaries have tiptoed around the allegations that family members had to source drugs on tour; this film conveniently invents a shifty-looking white guy who asks Houston for her autograph and then cash and drugs are surreptitiously exchanged under cover of Houston getting pen and paper from her bag. She was found dead in the bathtub of her LA hotel room in 2012 at just 48 with evidence of cocaine use. Nor does this film mention the theory from Macdonald’s documentary that Houston was sexually abused as a child by a cousin. Now here is a music biopic on very traditional lines from screenwriter Anthony McCarten and director Kasi Lemmons: a smoothly watchable and well performed piece of work.

'Bohemian Rhapsody' screenwriter Anthony McCarten strips a miraculous talent of her messy, beautiful humanity.

Walthamstow-born Naomi Ackie, best-known for her roles in The End of the F***ing World and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, would ideally have been catapulted to fame by her role as Houston. Instead, we’re simply ushered on to the next event, the next line on her Wikipedia page. It’s a real waste of the talent at work here in front of and behind the camera. His handling of Houston is more respectful, at least, but the formulaic cradle-to-grave structure of his script plays like a run-on sentence of biographical detail. [Freddie Mercury](/topic/freddie-mercury)’s status as a queer icon to paint the living members of Queen in a more positive light. So, it’s hard to fault Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, the first biopic authorised by her estate, for its attempt to recentre her legacy.

Naomi Ackie has taken on the role of a lifetime in the upcoming Whitney Houston biopic.

[Whitney Houston](/artists/whitney-houston/facts-age-family-daughter-husband-death/) in the biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody. You immerse yourself in something for long enough, and it becomes effortless." I would find myself, like, FaceTiming my family, and I would be doing Whitney expressions or talking in the same tempo as Whitney, even if I was talking in my own accent.

This biopic reaches its high point early on, as Bafta-winner Naomi Ackie vividly portrays the pop star during her meteoric ascent. But once the film reaches ...

(It is worth mentioning, however, that Davis himself serves as one of the picture’s producers.) Still, even I Wanna Dance’s fairly pedestrian approach can’t fully tamp down the resonance of Houston’s vocals. In addition, I Wanna Dance addresses Houston’s frustration at being labeled a sellout by Black fans for making music that appealed to white audiences. (Because she rarely wrote her songs, she needed an unerring instinct for potential singles, and the scenes of Davis and her listening to different demos, trying to find hidden gems, are quite satisfying.) (The singer drowned in a hotel bathtub, with cocaine cited as a factor in her accidental death.) Posthumous documentaries such as Whitney: Can I Be Me? (co-directed by Nick Broomfield) and Kevin Macdonald’s Whitney have offered portraits of her life, but I Wanna Dance, written by biopic specialist Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Theory of Everything), offers a conventional rise-then-fall narrative that even those with only a passing interest in the artist will find accessible. Despite its sunnier stretches, I Wanna Dance With Somebody ultimately sings a sad song about Whitney Houston, the phenomenally talented vocalist who left behind a string of indelible hit singles before her death in 2012 aged 48.

Whitney Houston's songs are as catchy as ever, but Kasi Lemmons' film succumbs to familiar music biopic pitfalls without adding much to the singer's legacy.

[Get On Up](https://www.avclub.com/film/reviews/get-on-up-2014), Bohemian Rhapsody, [Rocketman](https://www.avclub.com/film/reviews/rocketman-2019), and [The United States Vs. A few YouTube rabbit holes, a Spotify playlist, and a rental of The Bodyguard (or The Prince Of Egypt) would perhaps be a more fitting tribute to one of the greatest artists of the past century. While the ensemble delivers a string of strong performances, from Ackie’s emotional lip syncs (the producers rightfully decided not to try to replicate Houston’s one-of-a-kind voice), to Tucci’s grandfatherly caring, to Tunie’s sometimes harsh love for her daughter, the script seems to hold the audience at a distance, never fully fleshing these characters out. Billie Holiday](https://www.avclub.com/film/reviews/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-2021), this film feels like a copy-and-paste redux that’s little more than an excuse to listen to Houston’s greatest hits (which, to be fair, sound great). [40% off](https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Electric-Handwarmers-Portable-Christmas/dp/B0BG9TB26K?asc_campaign=InlineMobile&asc_refurl=https://www.avclub.com/whitney-houston-i-wanna-dance-with-somebody-film-review-1849908804&asc_source=&imprToken=eec28dc1-219f-ae9f-d96&ots=1&slotNum=1&tag=kinjaavclubpromo-20) They provide up to 12 hours of heat on a single charge and you can control the specific heat levels they are outputting. But the film’s second half covering Houston’s global success, her budding relationship with Bobby Brown (Moonlight’s Ashton Sanders), and her drug addiction means the queer plot line fades away. This all culminates in an extended final concert sequence (again, as in Bohemian Rhapsody) in which Houston performs “I Loves You, Porgy,” “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” and “I Have Nothing” epically at the American Music Awards, proving (if there was ever any doubt) that Houston was a one-of-a-kind talent and ending the film on a celebratory note. The film rejoins Houston, played beautifully by the effervescent [Naomi Ackie](https://www.avclub.com/naomi-ackie-interview-houston-wanna-dance-with-somebody-1849883534), as she hones her craft by singing backup for her mother Cissy (Tamara Tunie). [1994 American Music Awards medley](https://www.whitneyhouston.com/video/i-loves-you-porgy-and-i-am-telling-you-im-not-going-i-have-nothing-american-music-awards-1994/) for Houston) before rewinding to their early days. And we watch Houston’s fallout with her shifty manager (in this case her father, played by Clarke Peters), her various methods of self-destruction, and her career high points, including The pressure from the tabloids.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody is yet another music biopic that feels like a checklist of events rather than riveting drama.

Let these twisty thrillers take you for a ride.](/articles/best-mystery-movies) [Black Adam is Out of James Gunn's Initial Version of the DCU17h ago - Johnson says he will continue to explore ways Black Adam can be utilized in the DC multiverse.](/articles/dwayne-johnson-confirms-no-black-adam-in-james-gunns-initial-dcu) [Hugh Jackman Confirms Major Deadpool 3 Fan Theory20h ago - Here's how the new movie could resolve it conflicts with Logan.](/articles/hugh-jackman-confirms-major-deadpool-3-fan-theory) Which campaign rose above the rest?](/articles/the-10-best-call-of-duty-campaigns) [James Cameron Says Another Terminator Reboot Is 'in Discussion'2h ago - The director says he would want the movie to focus on the AI side of robots.](/articles/james-cameron-another-terminator-reboot-in-discussion) [Elon Musk Says He'll Resign as Twitter CEO...Eventually12h ago - "As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it." [ Harriet](/articles/2019/10/29/harriet-review), her Harriet Tubman biopic (which she also co-wrote) that avoided the historical speedrun treatment by doubling as a tale of faith and mysticism. Tying it all together is Ackie, a star of the highest caliber, who paints her version of Houston not only with nuance, but a radiant and alluring presence befitting of the music icon. Worse yet, the story’s ending hinges on knowing the exact timeline and circumstances of Houston’s premature passing, which it only hints at obliquely. Siddhant Adlakha [Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Reveal TrailerThe legendary mecha third-person shooter series from FromSoftware is set to return in 2023.](/videos/armored-core-vi-fires-of-rubicon-reveal-trailer-the-game-awards) [Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Official Teaser TrailerCheck out the teaser trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, arriving in theaters on June 9, 2023.Transformers: Rise of the Beasts introduces the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons to the existing battle on earth between Autobots and Decepticons. In the case of Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (hastily re-titled to add the singer’s name earlier this month) when a director as capable as Kasi Lemmons gets sucked into the subgenre’s orbit, but remains unable to elevate the story beyond its rote formulism, it might be time to retire – or, at the very least, strongly re-evaluate – the concept. It begins in New Jersey in 1983, just before a 20-year-old Houston is discovered by record executives at a local performance — an event which we are, of course, treated to in detail. Issues and complexities are swept under the rug no sooner than they arise, leading to condensed scenes with little conflict to behold. His next film in this mechanical genre is about experimental pop artist [Andy Warhol and neo-expressionist Jean-Michel Basquiat](https://deadline.com/2021/02/anthony-mccarten-jean-michel-basquiat-andy-warhol-movie-the-collaboration-movie-compelling-pictures-bohemian-rhapsody-1234696508/). If that means grading these films on a curve, then sure: watch I Wanna Dance With Somebody because Houston was an icon. The music biopic is among the most stale and predictable of Hollywood’s modern “prestige” pictures.

It was only a matter of time before Hollywood got their claws on Whitney Houston, who tragically died in a drug-related accidental drowning in 2012. Her story was always ripe for the Hollywood treatment; she went from singing in her church, ...

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody is a frustrating film. What completely saves I Wanna Dance With Somebody is a luminous, charismatic performance by Ackie. Ackie is in almost every scene of the film and she truly lights up the screen. Later on, Lemmons and Ackie go to great lengths to show the pressure Whitney was under to perform as well as she used to. Whitney’s story is simply too big to be told in a single film. The film covers Whitney’s relationship with best friend/lover Robin (Nafessa Williams) as well as her tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders).