This week on This Week in Biopics comes Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, starring Naomie Ackie as the tremendously talented, popular, and sad pop diva (now available on VOD streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video). Ackie, who appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, will next be seen in Mickey 17, Bong Joon-eagerly ho’s awaited Parasite sequel. But it may also be a thankless position, given the following: First, the pervasiveness of the topic. Two, the terrible trajectory of the singer’s life, which merits a more nuanced Behind the Music approach. And third, the situation of the biopic, particularly the music biopic, in 2023; it’s essentially artistically dead. The filmmaker of Harriet and Eve’s Bayou, Kasi Lemmons, tries to wrap her arms around Whitney here, but it’s honestly impossible.
We began operations in 1994. Whitney prepares her voice for an American Music Awards performance. But this isn’t where we actually begin; we quickly skip back to 1983, dashing any hope that the film may be gutsy enough not to attempt to cover 30 years of a person’s life in less than two hours. Whitney is approximately 20 years old and conducting the church choir with abandon. Then, her mother Cissy (Tamara Tunie) cracks the whip: Express yourself! Master the tune inside and out! Cissy has a long history as a singer, and she presently utilizes Whitney as a backup vocalist for club performances. One night, Cissy identifies legendary record executive Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci) in the audience, compels Whitney to perform “The Greatest Love of All” solo, and history is created.
As Clive mentors Whitney, her relationship with Robyn (Nafessa Williams) becomes tense; according to Whitney’s father John (Clarke Peters), you can’t be America’s Pop Star Sweetheart and be seen dating another woman. Robyn works as her personal assistant, and the relationship between her and Robyn is successful despite a brief disagreement. Clive plays songwriter-demo cassettes – click, whirl, clunk – and Whitney chooses the “great big songs.” Whitney then performs on Merv Griffin. Whitney sings in the recording studio. She records a music video. When Whitney hears her music on the radio, she loses her mind. Whitney performs before crowded arenas. Whitney receives a bottle of Dom Perignon from Clive for every number-one hit, and she achieves seven. Whitney relocates to a massive mansion. Whitney’s father assumes charge of business management, which smells like a poor plan. Whitney is only 23 years old.
This continues, but it is not always so pleasant. Whitney claps back at a radio DJ who accuses her of “not being black enough.” Whitney and her father dispute. Whitney says to Clive, “I want to make a movie.” Whitney does cocaine. Meeting Whitney and Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders). The National Anthem is performed by Whitney at the Super Bowl. Whitney fires upon The Bodyguard. Whitney sings in South Africa to honor Nelson Mandela. Whitney and Bobby marry despite the fact that he is nothing but trouble. I believe Whitney has a child — I glanced down for a moment and everything was happening so quickly. Okay, I’ve confirmed that Whitney has a child. Whitney is less and less joyful as the years go by. Whitney is a crack smoker. Whitney and Bobby argue. Whitney examines the books and discovers that her father has been spending money recklessly. Whitney does some arduous live shows. Whitney converses with Clive, who she considers a confidant. This continues until it no longer does.
Sony Pictures/courtesy of the Everett Collection
What Films Does It Remind You Of? : On the scale of music biopics, I Wanna Dance is not as eccentric as Elvis, as crude as Bohemian Rhapsody, or as stirring as Ray. Comparable to mediocre Aretha Franklin biographies Respect and The United States vs. Billie Holiday.
Performance Worth Observing: Unlike Austin Butler in Elvis or Jennifer Hudson in Respect, Ackie doesn’t actually sing here, but she lip-syncs the hell out of ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘Greatest Love of All’ and all the other hits – which isn’t a knock on her, as no one before or after Whitney sang like Whitney. Ackie demonstrates significant acting prowess, although she is handicapped by an overly ambitious writing.
Memorable Dialogue: Whitney becomes moral and assured:
Whitney: That’s precisely what they desire – America’s sweetheart.
Robyn: And you plan to give it to them?
Whitney: Observe me.
Skin and Sexuality: None.
Our Take: Dramatized Wikipedia. I Wanna Dance with Somebody meticulously covers the majority of Whitney’s significant life events, which are numerous. Some will applaud Whitney’s heirs for giving the green light to an authorized biography that dares to portray her drug usage, unpleasant times from her marriage to Bobby Brown, and a quasi-secret same-sex relationship. These are truths about her life that cannot be overlooked or glossed over. But Lemmons and screenwriter Anthony McCarten (who penned the similarly unimpressive Bohemian Rhapsody) never get to the truth about Whitney, piecing together one scene after another after another, as if following a timeline instead of an emotionally engaging dramatic arc. It is comparable to composing a pop song with words, melody, and rhythm, but no hook.
Not to imply that the film is unwatchable. It is perfectly watchable, but sadly adheres to outdated music-bio formulas: Elated highs, histrionic lows, montages and, of course, musical performances, which feel perfunctory when they should be electrifying. The dialogue is an awkward blend of exposition and sloganeering: “Every song is a story. If it’s not a story, it’s not a song,” “Remember: Head, heart, gut,” “I just wanna sing.” The depiction of Clive Davis – a credited producer – borders on saintly, and the rest of the supporting characters are rendered too thin to be memorable, even bad boy Bobby Brown. The tempo is choppy, the narrative full of abrupt transitions lacking the connective tissue to properly orient us in terms of setting or the emotional state of our protagonist – one moment she’s confident, and the next, she’s lugubrious.
So the film follows Whitney’s slide from the top of the world into a depressive state. But why? Drug addiction? Public scrutiny? The high-pressure music business? Her failed marriage? Mental illness? Again, these are all things that happen, but the film is so busy covering all the bases like a historical documentary, it fails to truly address the substance of her character. There’s no arguing that Whitney was an all-timer, a generational talent (an assertion reiterated so frequently in the dialogue, it becomes grating). She’s one of the GOATs – and she surely deserves more than just a baseline-watchable biopic.
Our Call: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is dutiful at best, but it never pops. SKIP IT.
John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.