I Wanna Dance With Somebody [Whitney biopic]

When the night falls, I give this a __

  • 10

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 09

    Votes: 2 33.3%

  • 08

    Votes: 1 16.7%

  • 07

    Votes: 3 50.0%

  • 06

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 05

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 04

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 03

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 02

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 01

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 00

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    6
dUb

dUb

AH AH AH
Pronouns
He/Him
Joined
May 2, 2004
Messages
40,131
Naomi Ackie, who has appeared in Star Wars and Game of Thrones had been cast as Nippy

360


Director Stella Meghie has the backing of the Houston estate and Bohemian Rhapsody's Anthony McCarten writing the script. And now she has the star she's been seeking: “We spent the better part of the last year in an exhaustive search for an actress who could embody Whitney Houston," Meghie tells The Hollywood Reporter. "Naomi Ackie impressed us at every stage of the process. I was moved by her ability to capture the stage presence of a global icon while bringing humanity to her interior life."

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/star-wars-naomi-ackie-whitney-houston-biopic/
 
Bohemian Rhapsody was shit. So I don't have high hopes. Although Whitney was infinitely more interesting than Queen and at least doesn't have Brian fucking May poking his nose in.
 
This trailer keeps playing in the cinema and I’ve realised what’s putting me off. It’s not so much that every major casting in a biopic has to exactly resemble the person they’re playing, but Naomi Ackie looks far too much like Ego Nwodim from SNL and therefore it keeps fooling me in to thinking I’m watching a comedy sketch without the comedy.

Yaya DaCosta did quite a good job in that other film and has far more of Whitney’s general essence. All it needed was the music to be licensed.
 
Has no one else seen this yet? Of all the superstar band/singer biopics I reckon this is one of the most accurate overall.

Any massive fans wanna pick holes in it? Because where I didn’t learn anything new, I was surprised that they really threw it all in there.

Also REALLY showcases how fucking phenomenal a singer she really was and that barely anyone has come close since.
 
Ellie said:
Has no one else seen this yet? Of all the superstar band/singer biopics I reckon this is one of the most accurate overall.

Any massive fans wanna pick holes in it? Because where I didn’t learn anything new, I was surprised that they really threw it all in there.

Also REALLY showcases how fucking phenomenal a singer she really was and that barely anyone has come close since.
Click to expand...
Yes and I can only really echo what you've said. I was very ready to roll my eyes at moments that surely didn't happen the way they portrayed, but actually - bar one or two lines clearly written with the trailer in mind - it wasn't like that at all. Naomi Ackie's portrayal was phenomenal.
 
It feels like it made zero impact. It’s playing here but I have zero interest in going, maybe I’ll squeeze it in in the coming week.
 
I was supposed to go tonight but this cold has meant I couldn’t. :(

The reviews have been universally terrible, I noticed.
 
I mean it’s a pretty STANDARD music biopic style wise. Runs through her whole life almost chronologically. But Ackie is surprisingly great.

I can only think that some critics might have wanted a movie filled with nothing but drug binges or something for their own salacious gratification. It’s all there though.
 
I really enjoyed it but there was an impending sense of doom throughout. The timeskips were a tad jarring but I liked the recreation of some of the videos and the final 10 or so minutes were pretty special.
 
Ellie said:
I was able to catch the 4pm screening as the office let us go at 3:30, so I rushed out and one of my new colleagues was in the lift down, so I said why I was rushing… he’s 21 and had NEVER HEARD OF WHITNEY HOUSTON :manson:
Click to expand...
Not even the Kygo track?.?!.!
 
When do they stop? Is it all the way to her death?

I hate these biopics which cover everything. The last one was the Aretha one and it was like a clip show.
 
jyxz said:
Not even the Kygo track?.?!.!
Click to expand...
I didn’t really have time to express my disgust, but all I said was politely that she died 10 years ago and she was one of the best singers ever, which was met with “I was 11 years old then”

You know I was 10 when Freddie Mercury died. John Lennon died a year before I was born and I have known them my whole life.

Cmt I Cant Even GIF by Redneck Island
 
I think there’s a strong element of burnout with these music bios now. Freddie Mercury, Elton, Aretha, Elvis, Whitney - it’s too much.

My mum mentioned she wanted to see it though, so possibly the public will remain more receptive than the critics.
 
Phoenix said:
When do they stop? Is it all the way to her death?

I hate these biopics which cover everything. The last one was the Aretha one and it was like a clip show.
Click to expand...
It ends on the day she dies, you don't see her death just the build-up then it cuts to the full performance from the 1994 American Music Awards
.
 
My biggest problem with these music biopics is that they have to be at least respectful enough to get whoever is left alive to allow them to use the music. You’re never going to see one where the subject of the biopic is portrayed in a remotely villainous way, even if that would be the best way to tell the story from a dramatic standpoint.
 
dmlaubles said:
My biggest problem with these music biopics is that they have to be at least respectful enough to get whoever is left alive to allow them to use the music. You’re never going to see one where the subject of the biopic is portrayed in a remotely villainous way, even if that would be the best way to tell the story from a dramatic standpoint.
Click to expand...
Well you’re never going to even get anything made that way regardless. Would there really be a market for Elvis fans to want to watch him grooming 14 year old Priscilla for instance?

What exactly was the deal with Ike Turner in 1993? He can’t have been happy with his portrayal and they still used his music.
 
I really enjoyed this! Beautifully made and very respectful. Ackie was terrific. Yes it's not the best film I've EVER seen, but it was very enjoyable and completely agree that it showcases Whitney's voice wonderfully.
 
Iguana said:
I really enjoyed this! Beautifully made and very respectful. Ackie was terrific. Yes it's not the best film I've EVER seen, but it was very enjoyable and completely agree that it showcases Whitney's voice wonderfully.
Click to expand...
The fact that awards predictions places still have Ana De Armas in that utterly dreadful Blonde movie ranked above Ackie is quite bizarre.
 
I was gonna swerve this, but may sneak in a viewing after all with my Odeon Unlimited (coz there’s fuck all else to see).
 
I Wanna Dance With Somebody is one of those Spotify perennials, but it's up to #10 in the UK today. Probably a combo of the film and being a popular New Year's Eve song.
 
Just caught this this morning. I enjoyed it, but it’s overlong and dragged a bit.

Was interesting that they portrayed Robyn so well considering the family approval on the film and Cissy’s seeming hatred of her. Was fun to see her given the credit for just about everything as well :D

Naomi was fantastic for the most part, but some of the lip syncing was horribly obvious, and I thought Stanley Tucci did a good job making Clive human and warm, and Robyn and her Dad were both good in support.

However, the guy playing Bobby was APPALLING and why did they not bother ageing him? By the time they split up, he was a proper muscled hunk and yet he still looked about 13.

Also, the bit at the end annoyed me- “A world record 7 consecutive number ones”. Tell that to Mylène Farmer. And surely another black artist has 3 diamond records in the US? (Michael Jackson at the very least…) .

Anyway, 7.5/10.
 
We were supposed to liquid lunch and then go to this in December but flus prevented it so it will be a dry January viewing soon hopefully.
 
Sheena said:
Also, the bit at the end annoyed me- “A world record 7 consecutive number ones”. Tell that to Mylène Farmer. And surely another black artist has 3 diamond records in the US? (Michael Jackson at the very least…) .
Click to expand...
Not sure about the 7 consecutive #1s (I think she is from a US Hot 100 perspective only, so the world record tag is a bit pointless), but no other black artists have 3 diamond albums. Mariah and MJ are close, but not quite there. Mariah's debut and Off the Wall are both 9x platinum and would be their third to reach the milestone...
 
Last edited:
It’s the “world record” bit that annoyed me.

And I just presumed Off The Wall would be 10x. I guess I was wrong.
 
I really enjoyed it. Much better than expected. Ackie captured Whitney’s mannerisms and speech patterns very well and they recreated all the key live performances brilliantly. I cried a lot just listening to the sheer awesomeness of Whitney’s vocals and thinking WHAT A WASTE.
 
This wasn’t a bad sit but it’s frustrating how they waste the good cast on a basic by the numbers biopic.

Like they could have stopped in 1994 and built a movie up to that moment because everything after that was rushed and just trying to hit moments to give you an idea of what happened but it’s not clear (unless you’re a fan).

I didn’t need several scenes of her and Clive in his office doing the standard bop your head to demos and then lightning strikes. Also what’s the point of recreating so many performances when you can just YouTube them?

I would like a movie about Cissy, she seemed to be very interesting.
 
This was enjoyable enough - made me appreciate her a bit more as someone who is too young to have properly enjoyed her golden period.

Agree though with sentiments that it is too long and that the actor playing Bobby was both dreadful and should have been aged up like Ackie as the timeline moved forward.
 
Saw this last night. Veered a little close to bland too often but maybe that’s because I knew most of the story already. Some of the music brought on proper nostalgia and sadness. I was pleasantly surprised Robyn was given a prominent feature, I assumed it would gloss over the true nature of their relationship. I also thought the relationship with Bobby should have been covered more and again was surprised they did assign Whitney responsibility for many of her own troubles too so the film was more honest than I’d have expected.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top Bottom