I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Review
146 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by Anthony McCarten
Directed by Kasi Lemmons
**NOTE: this post will be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
Synopsis:
I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a powerful and triumphant celebration of the incomparable Whitney Houston. Directed by Kasi Lemmons, written by Academy Award® nominee Anthony McCarten, produced by legendary music executive Clive Davis and starring BAFTA Award® winner Naomi Ackie, the film is a no-holds-barred portrait of the complex and multifaceted woman behind The Voice. From New Jersey choir girl to one of the best-selling and most awarded recording artists of all time, audiences are taken on an inspirational, poignant—and so emotional—journey through Houston’s trailblazing life and career, with show-stopping performances and a soundtrack of the icon’s most beloved hits as you’ve never heard them before. Don’t you wanna dance?
Another year, another “biopic” of a beloved musical icon. Written by Anthony McCarten, who also wrote Bohemian Rhapsody, I Wanna Dance With Somebody seems to have been recently re-branded (at least for advertising purposes, if not officially) to the more identifiable Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Regardless of what Sony pictures wants to call it, I Wanna Dance With Somebody suffers from a noticeable lack of… reality?… for a reality-based film.
In line with my dark sense of humor, for example, I jokingly said prior to screening the film that I would be disappointed if I A) didn’t see Bobby Brown hit Whitney and B) see the “crack is whack” interview.
NOT BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE WHITNEY HOUSTON GET HIT!
The point of wanting to see that is that it would know how seriously the filmmakers took the subject matter and how real they wanted it to be, or if they were simply trying to spin a less-negative fairytale.
Turns out, we saw some confrontations between Whitney and Bobby, but not physical violence, and we did not see the famous Diane Sawyer interview, either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kovGM1ZrCck
That’s not to say we don’t see some of the controversy of Whitney’s life, but rather that it is blanded down to be almost inconsequential in relation to the reality of it all.
We are left with what I called “Highlights from Houston,” which catalogs the professional high points of her career, including her early video days (“How Will I know”), her classic AMA performance, and of course, the legendary Super Bowl National Anthem performance.
Ironically, while they chose to show every other number in its entirety, the National Anthem is abbreviated, which is kind of akin to if Bryan Singer had chosen to edit down Queen’s Live Aid set in Bohemian Rhapsody.
Insane.
The performances overall are solid but are ultimately let down by the script and directorial choices made to (ironically, given the backlash she received early in her career, which is also addressed in the film) whitewash Whitney’s personal life.
Given the ultimate short shrift, though, is the presence of Robyn Crawford, Whitney’s friend and creative director, but also her lover… or was she? The film both confirms and skirts the issue, in the end relegating Nafessa Williams’ portrayal of Robyn to that of foil to Ashton Sanders’ Bobby Brown as the audience watches Whitney’s lifestyle (professional and personal) began to drag her down.
A monstrous creative talent ends up with a mediocre movie that fails to capture the totality of her existence.
Whitney deserves better.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody hits theaters this Friday and stars Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Clarke Peters, and Nafessa Williams.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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