Discovered by record executive Clive Davis, Whitney Houston rises from obscurity to international fame in the 1980s to become one of the greatest singers of her generation.
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Cast: Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Nafessa Williams, Clarke Peters
Release Date: December 23, 2022
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Rated PG-13 for Strong Drug Content, Some Strong Language, Smoking, Suggestive References
Runtime: 2h 26m
Review:
I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a competent albeit perfunctory exercise of a biopic that rushes thru major moments while delivering barebones dramatic moments. Kasi Lemmons meticulously recreates a lion's share of Houston's most iconic moments with the film pulsating with energetic verve especially for longtime fans of the singer. Sadly, the dramatic connective tissue never reaches those kinds of heights. The interspersed moments showing her upbringing, career and romantic relationships fairly uninspired and rushed. Those moments never connect, keeping the audience at a distance from Houston's motivations or drives. As such, it's a scattering of well worn tabloid details with very little emotional depth or resonance behind it. It's a massive misfire for the film since the cast is clearly dying for better material and do the best they can with what they have. Naomi Ackie is solid if not transcendent as Houston. Ackie clearly studied her movements and mannerisms in order to recreate her stage presence which is a tall order to say the least. Its an admirable turn as she makes the most of what she's given to work with. The supporting cast is made up of intriguing performers with the script providing hints of more interesting iterations of the characters. However, none of them are explored properly leaving Clarke Peter and Tamara Tunie playing clichéd parental overseer/overlords. Nafessa Williams playing Whitney's lifelong best friend seemed ripe for exploration but the film spends fairly little time on their relationship before quickly moving on and leaving her little more than a worried supportive friend at odds with Ashton Sanders' Bobby Brown who takes up a large portion of the final act. Stanley Tucci fares the best of the bunch due to his sheer talent and playing Clive Davis who is also one of the film's producers. The final act magnifies the film's faults as it clumsily lumbers toward Houston's tragic end. I Wanna Dance with Somebody ends up being little more than a competent but forgettable biopic that doesn't bring any sort of fresh perspective on its central subject.
C+
