Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance With Somebody Movie
Whitney Houston was a hugely talented singer who unfortunately became addicted to drugs and died in a car crash. Kasi Lemmons’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody follows the singer from her childhood to her death, capturing her talent and humanizing her as much as possible.
British actress Naomi Ackie lip-syncs her way through the role of Houston, delivering an unmissable performance that suffuses octaves of feeling into an overstuffed script full of flat notes. It isn’t enough to save this film, but it is a heartfelt tribute to an incredibly talented artist who suffered through much more than her talent.
Naomi Ackie
The talent-based saga of pop diva Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie) is reborn as a big-screen biopic in the 2022 Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance with Somebody, directed by Kasi Lemmons and from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten. Its story charts Houston’s meteoric rise from Jersey church choirgirl to the GOAT, while skimming over some of her more devious moments and revealing more about her drug addiction than she was willing to admit.
Ackie re-creates the ear-to-ear crooning that made Houston so appealing, from her early choir practice at a New Jersey church to a solo performance at Sweetwater’s in New York City, where her mother, Cissy Houston (Tamara Tunie), is pushing her onstage for her first major break. The movie, filmed in and around Newark and Manhattan, shows the young singer with her devoted mother and streetwise manager John Houston (Clarke Peters) making their way into the business while also showing the pressures of her church-going upbringing.
When she’s not delivering the ethereal voice of her own creation, Ackie helps sell Houston as an ambitious artist whose golden ear for hearing potential hits was able to help her shape songs into something fresh and inventive. It’s this kind of a role that would have been a great fit for a more seasoned actress, but she delivers a ferocious performance as Houston despite the need to lip-sync throughout her biggest hits.
Director Kasi Lemmons has a knack for capturing the spirit of her subject, but the 146-minute Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance with Somebody feels like a repackaged greatest-hits album that tries too hard to be all things to all people. It’s not just the haphazard editing that makes it grating. There’s also the generic score that sounds dangerously close to temp music, letting the film drift from one emotion to another rather than digging deeper into its subject.
Tamara Tunie
Tamara Tunie plays Cissy Houston, the mother of Whitney Houston, in the Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance with Somebody movie. She is also well known for playing Melinda Warner on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Ackie is a very good actress and does a great job of portraying Whitney Houston from different parts of her life. She does her best to capture the voice, mannerisms and movements of Whitney Houston accurately.
The actress’ performance is excellent as she is able to smoothly transition into various parts of the movie without affecting the flow of the film. She is able to play Whitney Houston from her younger days to her death at age 48 and does a great job of portraying her character.
One of the main issues with this movie is that it is too timid to really delve into the story of Whitney Houston and her struggle with addiction and family trouble. The movie glosses over this issue and it leaves the audience with no impact.
As a singer, she was very talented and her voice is amazing. She was a very popular singer and her songs are still heard all over the world. She is an inspiration for many people and she died at a young age of 48.
She was a singer, actor and a writer as well. She has also directed several films. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Carnegie-Mellon University and has appeared on various television shows including Law & Order: Special Victims unit.
She has been in the industry since 1984 and is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is of Native American, European and African ancestry.
Nafessa Williams
Nafessa Williams, an actress known for her work in Streets and ABC soap opera One Life to Live, plays Robyn Crawford in the Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance with Somebody movie. The film is based on Houston’s autobiography and was directed by Kasi Lemmons, who previously worked on Bohemian Rhapsody.
The film tries to be an accurate retelling of Houston’s life, but it still misses some important moments or leaves them out entirely. For example, she didn’t get the opportunity to perform at her father’s funeral. She also didn’t re-enact her famous performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the Super Bowl.
But what isn’t missed is the power of Houston’s voice and her charismatic personality. Naomi Ackie, who stars alongside her in the film, does an excellent job capturing the essence of the legendary singer and her infectious energy.
In addition, she nailed the role of Houston’s close friend and confidant, Robyn Crawford. In real life, the two had a complex relationship that lasted nearly 20 years, and they often met in secret.
As the film moves along, the bond between the two grows stronger and deeper, and their shared passion for music takes them from their summer jobs at a community center in East Orange, New Jersey to their Zoom audition peak pandemic and finally to a world of fame and fortune.
But as much as this is a love story, it also has a heavy dose of drama and tragedy. The scenes that follow are full of sexy-ness and sexual escapism, but there’s also a dark cloud of addiction that looms over the story. This makes the film’s 146-minute runtime feel incredibly long, and a script by Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody) and director Kasi Lemmons (Harriet) can’t help but feel cliched and superficial.
Clive Davis
Clive Davis has had a long and distinguished career in the music industry. He first made his mark as a contract lawyer for Columbia Records, where he helped to renegotiate the contract of Bob Dylan. He later became a label executive at Arista and helped to sign several superstars of the music industry, including Whitney Houston.
Clive became a close friend of Whitney’s, and together they crafted many of her biggest hits. He was a mentor and advisor to the star, who became the highest-selling female artist of all time.
In the film, we get to see a glimpse of Houston’s early life, when she was part of the choir in her church led by her mother Cissy Houston (Tamara Tunie), who pushed her to be better and use her vocal abilities to their fullest potential. This helped her to gain confidence and start a career as a singer.
Eventually, she gets a chance to sing a medley at the 1994 American Music Awards. She is nervous at first, but her ability to perform in front of such an audience impresses her and her mother, causing them to realize that she has what it takes to become an icon.
The next step in her career was signing with Arista Records, and she quickly starts working hard to make her mark on the world of music. Despite her struggles with drug addiction and an unresolved marriage to Bobby Brown, she is able to churn out many hit singles.
However, she soon finds herself unable to keep up with her demanding schedule, and she begins to have trouble sleeping. She eventually asks Clive Davis to show her new songs, and he helps her to find one that she loves.
Kasi Lemmons
Kasi Lemmons is an award-winning American director, screenwriter and actress. She made her feature directorial debut with Eve’s Bayou, which was recently inducted into the National Film Registry. Her other notable films include Talk to Me, Black Nativity and Harriet.
During her career, she has garnered many accolades including an NAACP Image Award for outstanding directorial work. She is also an accomplished writer and a professor of filmmaking.
Her first feature film, Eve’s Bayou, was released in 1997 and received the Independent Spirit Award for best first feature. She went on to direct a tribute to Sidney Poitier for the 2002 Oscar telecast, as well as a reimagining of The Caveman’s Valentine.
As a filmmaker, Lemmons is known for her attention to detail and commitment to storytelling. Her work is renowned for portraying the experiences and voices of African Americans and people of color.
In this movie, she plays the role of Whitney Houston and delivers a stellar performance. She embodies the essence of the singer, capturing every nuance in her voice and mannerisms.
While the story is a little predictable, it is a powerful depiction of the superstar’s life. It is a moving and inspirational homage to one of the most iconic singers of all time, who was the highest selling artist of her generation.
She was also a great inspiration to her fans and the film is an honest and accurate depiction of her life. Although the movie is a little long and can sometimes be filmed too moving, it’s still a very good movie that deserves to be praised and loved by all.
This movie is a must watch for any fan of Whitney Houston and her music. Naomi Ackie has given a magnificent performance and it will definitely make you want to see more of her work.