.jpeg)
The Whitney Houston biopic, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" is now in theaters. The authorized biopic starring Naomi Ackie as Houston includes both Pat Houston and Clive Davis as producers. So of course it includes Houston's actual vocals, and the 146-minute film dedicates significant runtime to letting the audience enjoy Houston's biggest hits and performances audibly. However, while Ackie did seem to have a good grasp of Houston's mannerisms, there isn't a strong resemblance and at times it was visually noticeable that Ackie was lip-synching. While the audience would clearly know that she isn't actually singing as soon as they hear what is clearly Houston's iconic voice, it would have been nice to be able to visually not be able to tell in order to allow for the audience to truly visualize Ackie as Houston throughout the film.
In addition to including Houston's actual vocals, the film also immersed actual footage in some scenes. In particular clips of Kevin Costner during the filming of "The Bodyguard" and Oprah Winfrey during Houston's comeback performance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." At the end of the film, they showed clips and photos of Houston going into the credit. While I understand why, it felt like the first clip's placement cheapened the film a bit and made it feel like a made for tv film or series. The first clip was footage of Houston performing the performance Ackie just recreated in the final scene, and these clips take up a square space towards the top third of the screen, allowing for final points at the end and eventually the credits. What may have been a more visually elevated option might have been to transition from Ackie's reenactment of the performance into a full-screen viewing of the actual footage. Saving the smaller-sized footage for the credits.
The film hits all of the highlights of Houston's life and career that any fan would be at least somewhat familiar with, including her relationship with Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams). While the film did not shy away from the low points and experiences, like the drug use, being booed for singing "white" music, or her father suing her, it also didn't go into much depth there; opting instead to focus more on what made her a musical icon.
The relationship that seemed to get an unexpectedly significant amount of time was that of Houston and Davis (Stanley Tucci). Even going so far as to include what comes off as Hollywood's typical white savior trope, by having Davis be the one to sit her down and tell her she needs to go to rehab.
Overall, the film played like a highlight reel. Which perhaps is enough for what those behind the film wanted. For any unfamiliar with why Houston is so iconic, the film will make it clear just why she is and forever will be "The Voice."