Returning to Cineworld with the first trip of 2023, I checked I Wanna Dance With Somebody the new biopic about Whitney Houston from her rise up the charts in the 1980s to her shocking death in February 2012.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody opens briefly with the American Music Awards performance in 1994 before whisking us back to New Jersey in 1983 with Whitney (Naomi Ackie) performing in a church, her mother not really approving of her style of performance in the church, but she tries to tell Whitney that she should learn the melodies and sing from the head, heart and gut.
Later during a performance at a nightclub, her mother the gospel legend Cissy Houston (Tamara Tunie) fakes a sore throat after seeing the head of Artista records Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci) taking a seat in the audience so that her daughter can perform in front of him.
As Whitney performs “The Greatest Love of All” with her distinctive style of vocals that we have all come to know over the many years and hits she has released, Davis is taken by her talent and her voice and decides there and then that he is going to sign up Whitney Houston to his label.
This biopic more quickly through the years as we are given moments of Houston’s life from her meeting with Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams) and falling in love with her, but this ill-fated relationship is one that is pushed to one side as Houston’s father John (Clarke Peters) wants’ his daughter to be the American Princess and she is told to date men and concentrate on her career, although as we know this, in turn, would bring Bobby Brown into her life!
It’s a shame that Whitney and Robyn’s relationship is rushed through in the early stages of the film, in fact, it seems that a lot of the film races by as you sit through 2h 45m run time, it’s something that seems to have been pushed to one side for the quickness and the chance to add the musical numbers to advance the story to Houston’s death in 2012.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody certainly isn’t one of the best biopic movies out there, it’s certainly not a patch on Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, but for Whitney fans, it’s a movie that brings her story to the screen and has some wonderful musical moments for fans to listen to.
The cast is great in their roles and I enjoyed Ackie’s performance as Whitney Houston, it’s always a joy to watch Stanley Tucci in a movie. Much like JUDY, this movie does have the sad ending that we all know is coming and is a bit of an emotional ride with the end credits including images of Whitney over the years.
It’s great to see some of the moments in Houston’s life recreated, such as behind the scenes making some her music videos and the moment that she was given the honour to singing the Amercian national Anthem at the Superbowl.
The music in I Wanna Dance With Somebody is beautifully performed with 95% of the music from Whitney Houston’s voice, the cinematography looks great and the story works for the content.
Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance With Somebody is an interesting movie and will probably appeal more to the big fans of Houston’s music.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody on Blu-ray
We have the news of the home release of the movie and it is coming to download & keep on the 6th of March and to rent on digital and on Blu-ray and DVD on the 13th of March.
The physical releases have some great special features.
Blu-Ray™ Bonus Materials:
- Whitney’s Jukebox
- Deleted Scenes
- Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes:
- Moments of an Icon
- Becoming Whitney
- The Personal Touch
DVD Bonus Materials:
- Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes:
- Moments of an Icon
- Becoming Whitney
- The Personal Touch
The rise and fall of Whitney Houston in new biopic
Movie title: I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Movie description: A joyous, emotional, heartbreaking 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.
Date published: January 2, 2023
Country: UK
Duration: 2h 24m
Director(s): Kasi Lemmons
Actor(s): Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Summary
An interesting look at the life of Whiney Houston as she finds stardom and becomes the greatest voice of her generation.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
