‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ Review: A Basic Whitney Houston Biopic Sets Her Wikipedia Page to Song
A music biopic so broad and hacky it makes “Jersey Boys” seem like “All that Jazz,” Kasi Lemmons’ well-acted but laughably trite “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody” is an anonymous portrait of a singular artist — a by-the-numbers “Behind the Music” episode that needs 146 minutes to say almost nothing about a once-in-a-lifetime voice. Not even “Bohemian Rhapsody” was so obviously written by the guy who wrote “Bohemian Rhapsody,” as Anthony McCarten’s algorithmic script
Here’s young Whitney as a choir soloist at the New Jersey church where she discovers her love for music. There she is at Arista Records’ HQ listening to the demo track for her future hit single, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”. Once her career takes off, the rest of her life is reduced to a diminishingly unsophisticated series of reactions to whatever happened in the previous scene, which doesn’t express Houston’s struggle...
Here’s young Whitney as a choir soloist at the New Jersey church where she discovers her love for music. There she is at Arista Records’ HQ listening to the demo track for her future hit single, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”. Once her career takes off, the rest of her life is reduced to a diminishingly unsophisticated series of reactions to whatever happened in the previous scene, which doesn’t express Houston’s struggle...
- 12/21/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” the official biopic of music icon Whitney Houston, is set to be released on December 21, 2022 according to Sony Pictures. London native Naomi Ackie will portray the legendary diva from Newark, New Jersey. The BAFTA-winning actress’ previous credits include “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker,” “Master of None” and “The End of the F***ing World.” The first movie poster for “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” was recently revealed on Houston’s official website.
Kasi Lemmons directs the biographical musical based on the life of one of the world’s biggest superstars. Lemmons’ previous directing credits include 2019’s “Harriet” starring Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo and 1997’s cult classic “Eve’s Bayou” starring Lynn Whitfield and Samuel L. Jackson. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is written by four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten, whose previous screenplay credits include “The Theory of Everything” (2014), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018) and “The Two Popes...
Kasi Lemmons directs the biographical musical based on the life of one of the world’s biggest superstars. Lemmons’ previous directing credits include 2019’s “Harriet” starring Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo and 1997’s cult classic “Eve’s Bayou” starring Lynn Whitfield and Samuel L. Jackson. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is written by four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten, whose previous screenplay credits include “The Theory of Everything” (2014), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018) and “The Two Popes...
- 4/27/2022
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Whitney Houston may have passed away more than nine and a half years ago, but a new documentary on the multi-octave singer is hoping to keep her memory alive, while promising to reveal new “intimate details” about one of the most iconic performers of all time.
Superstar: Whitney Houston is a new ABC special from the producers behind 20/20, and arrives on the heels of what would have been the late singer’s 58th birthday on August 9th. The one-hour special kicks off ABC’s new Superstar series, which the...
Superstar: Whitney Houston is a new ABC special from the producers behind 20/20, and arrives on the heels of what would have been the late singer’s 58th birthday on August 9th. The one-hour special kicks off ABC’s new Superstar series, which the...
- 8/11/2021
- by Tim Chan
- Rollingstone.com
Following the premiere of the documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice at the Tribeca Film Festival Friday night, singer Sheryl Crow took to the stage to pay tribute to the legendary singer. “Only an idiot would come on stage to perform Linda Ronstadt songs,” Crow told the crowd.
The singer then proceeded to sing a soulful rendition of “You’re No Good,” which Ronstadt put on her 1974 album Heart Like a Wheel. The Clint Ballard, Jr.-penned song was originally performed by Dee Dee Warwick in 1963.
Crow also...
The singer then proceeded to sing a soulful rendition of “You’re No Good,” which Ronstadt put on her 1974 album Heart Like a Wheel. The Clint Ballard, Jr.-penned song was originally performed by Dee Dee Warwick in 1963.
Crow also...
- 4/27/2019
- by Ilana Kaplan
- Rollingstone.com
Dionne Warwick rejected an accusation put forth by a new Whitney Houston documentary that claimed her sister Dee Dee Warwick molested Houston during the late singer’s childhood.
“I have tried to refrain from responding to that. First of all, it’s totally hogwash. My sister would never, ever have done anything to do any harm to any child, especially within our family,” Warwick told Larry King Now in an upcoming interview. “And for those lies to be perpetuated in this so-called documentary film [Whitney], I think it’s evil.”
Warwick...
“I have tried to refrain from responding to that. First of all, it’s totally hogwash. My sister would never, ever have done anything to do any harm to any child, especially within our family,” Warwick told Larry King Now in an upcoming interview. “And for those lies to be perpetuated in this so-called documentary film [Whitney], I think it’s evil.”
Warwick...
- 8/5/2018
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
“Black-ish” with an upper-case B is an African-American sitcom loved by both black and white viewers. But “black-ish” with a lower-case b doesn’t always fly with African-Americans when it comes to their tunes.
In both forms, the word refers to a lack of black cred, whether it’s for talking too white, acting too white, or being too white, accusations Drake haters have hurled at the rapper since he hit the hip hop scene. Some in the African-American community criticize him for making music that’s as much pop as hip hop and promoting a soft image. In other words, he’s not “black” enough.
Still, Drake is arguably the most successful rap star of the past five years. On June 29, his fifth studio album “Scorpion” set a Spotify record for the highest number of global streams in a single day. Over the course of the sprawling 25-track double album,...
In both forms, the word refers to a lack of black cred, whether it’s for talking too white, acting too white, or being too white, accusations Drake haters have hurled at the rapper since he hit the hip hop scene. Some in the African-American community criticize him for making music that’s as much pop as hip hop and promoting a soft image. In other words, he’s not “black” enough.
Still, Drake is arguably the most successful rap star of the past five years. On June 29, his fifth studio album “Scorpion” set a Spotify record for the highest number of global streams in a single day. Over the course of the sprawling 25-track double album,...
- 7/13/2018
- by Jeremy Helligar
- Variety Film + TV
“It’s about more than the music.” This is what one of the talking heads in Kevin Macdonald’s Whitney insists—that the story of legendary pop vocalist Whitney Houston is about more than her music. Houston’s grisly descent into drugs and addiction certainly has a steeper dramatic arc than the rise-rise, slow fade-and-fall trajectory of her celebrated voice, which was severely damaged by the time she was found face down in a hotel bathtub at the age of 48 in February of 2012.Except, the music is a big part of Houston’s story. Daughter of soul singer Cissy Houston, cousin of Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, goddaughter to Darlene Love and unofficial niece to Aretha ‘Auntie Ree’ Franklin, she was born into family of singers. An instantly recognisable mezzo-soprano with a powerful, clean, goosebump-inducing belt, her emotional range could reach celestial highs, buoyed by her trademark melismas and stemming...
- 7/13/2018
- MUBI
Whitney Houston‘s mother Cissy responded to allegations in the new documentary Whitney that the late singer’s cousin molested her during childhood.
“By this statement we do not intend to defend, condone or excuse the crime of molestation.” Cissy Houston said in a statement to People. “We cannot, however, overstate the shock and horror we feel and the difficulty we have believing that my niece Dee Dee Warwick (Dionne’s sister) molested two of my three children.”
Cissy continued, “How I wish I could ask Dee Dee and [Whitney] what happened,...
“By this statement we do not intend to defend, condone or excuse the crime of molestation.” Cissy Houston said in a statement to People. “We cannot, however, overstate the shock and horror we feel and the difficulty we have believing that my niece Dee Dee Warwick (Dionne’s sister) molested two of my three children.”
Cissy continued, “How I wish I could ask Dee Dee and [Whitney] what happened,...
- 7/11/2018
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Whitney Houston's family members are still grappling with claims that the late singer was molested by her cousin, Dee Dee Warwick—an accusation brought to light in the new documentary Whitney. In the film, Whitney's longtime assistant, Mary Jones, alleged Whitney had been sexually abused by Dee Dee as a child. Whitney's brother, Gary Garland-Houston, also says Whitney had been molested by Dee Dee as a child, as had he, in the film. Now, Whitney's mother, Cissy Houston, is speaking out about the allegations—issuing a statement to People on behalf of herself and her niece, Dionne Warwick. According to the statement, Cissy heard the allegations for the first time...
- 7/11/2018
- E! Online
It’s been nearly two months since the new documentary Whitney debuted at Cannes on May 16, making public a shocking claim that the late superstar was molested as a child by Dee Dee Warwick, her cousin and Dionne Warwick’s sister.
Now Whitney’s mother Cissy Houston is breaking her silence on the painful allegation. In this week’s People cover story she speaks out for the first time, on behalf of herself and niece Dionne Warwick, sharing their “horror” about the claim made by Whitney’s longtime assistant Mary Jones.
Jones says in the film that Whitney confided in her,...
Now Whitney’s mother Cissy Houston is breaking her silence on the painful allegation. In this week’s People cover story she speaks out for the first time, on behalf of herself and niece Dionne Warwick, sharing their “horror” about the claim made by Whitney’s longtime assistant Mary Jones.
Jones says in the film that Whitney confided in her,...
- 7/11/2018
- by Janine Rubenstein, Liz McNeil
- PEOPLE.com
Who was the real Whitney Houston and what was it that haunted her so very deeply?
In the six years since the superstar’s untimely death at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 11, 2012, questions continue to swirl about how the beloved once-in-a-generation singer with the heavenly voice found herself so entrenched in addiction that it killed her.
With the new documentary Whitney, Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald set out to answer these questions, interviewing over 60 of Whitney’s closest friends and family members. But the final theory the film presents — that as a child Whitney and older brother Gary were both...
In the six years since the superstar’s untimely death at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 11, 2012, questions continue to swirl about how the beloved once-in-a-generation singer with the heavenly voice found herself so entrenched in addiction that it killed her.
With the new documentary Whitney, Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald set out to answer these questions, interviewing over 60 of Whitney’s closest friends and family members. But the final theory the film presents — that as a child Whitney and older brother Gary were both...
- 7/11/2018
- by Janine Rubenstein
- PEOPLE.com
It’s very easy to build up an opinion of someone based on news items and snippets presented to us in the mainstream media. But these can often be ill-informed misconceptions, and this most definitely proved to be the case with Whitney Houston, who we realise we didn’t really know anything about, until now.
To mark the release of documentary Whitney, we interviewed the film’s director Kevin Macdonald on his own initial relationship with the singer, and how that changed across the course of this moving piece of cinema. He discusses why he felt she stood very little chance in life, and that he felt as though he was presenting a true crime series, almost like a detective hunting for the truth.
Naturally this allowed much room for spontaneity, to follow the story rather than have the story follow you, and Macdonald tells us why that’s such...
To mark the release of documentary Whitney, we interviewed the film’s director Kevin Macdonald on his own initial relationship with the singer, and how that changed across the course of this moving piece of cinema. He discusses why he felt she stood very little chance in life, and that he felt as though he was presenting a true crime series, almost like a detective hunting for the truth.
Naturally this allowed much room for spontaneity, to follow the story rather than have the story follow you, and Macdonald tells us why that’s such...
- 7/4/2018
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
News of the shocking revelations in “Whitney” quickly went viral early Thursday morning, once the first Cannes Film Festival screening of Kevin Macdonald’s wide-ranging bio-documentary about Whitney Houston let out. The film, made with the full authorization of her family, revealed that the departed singer had been victim of childhood sexual abuse at the hand of her cousin, the late vocalist Dee Dee Warwick.
And yet watching Macdonald’s broad-view documentary at the first press screening on Thursday morning, knowing the bombshells in store, actually made for somewhat richer and more engaging experience. Because we aren’t sideswiped by the late-in-film reveal, we’re better able to recognize the different ways Macdonald alludes to it, pointing towards it at different points in time.
While that’s an impressive fact to keep in mind, especially because the director himself was only able to land that bombshell confirmation fairly late in the editing process,...
And yet watching Macdonald’s broad-view documentary at the first press screening on Thursday morning, knowing the bombshells in store, actually made for somewhat richer and more engaging experience. Because we aren’t sideswiped by the late-in-film reveal, we’re better able to recognize the different ways Macdonald alludes to it, pointing towards it at different points in time.
While that’s an impressive fact to keep in mind, especially because the director himself was only able to land that bombshell confirmation fairly late in the editing process,...
- 5/17/2018
- by Ben Croll
- The Wrap
New revelations about the late Whitney Houston's life are sending shock waves through the music community. The newest documentary titled, Whitney, which was made in full cooperation with the estate, premiered at Cannes on May 16 and included interviews with the singer's close family members and friends. Mary Jones — Whitney's longtime assistant — got involved with the project and dropped a bombshell that the "I Will Always Love You" singer had allegedly been sexually abused as a child. "[Whitney] looked at me and said, 'Mary, I was molested at a young age, too. But it wasn't by a man — it was a woman,'" the assistant explained. This woman was reportedly Whitney's cousin, Dee Dee Warwick, who also allegedly abused Whitney's half-brother as well. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) "She had tears in her eyes. She says, 'Mommy don't know the things we went through.' I said, 'Have you ever told your mother?...
- 5/17/2018
- by Alex Riccardi
- In Touch Weekly
The documentary “Whitney,” which premiered Wednesday at the Cannes film festival, includes an accusation that Whitney Houston was molested as a child by her cousin, gospel singer Dee Dee Warwick.
Warwick, sister of Dionne Warwick, died in 2008 and was never publicly accused of sexual abuse. But in the film, Houston’s former assistant, Mary Jones, says on-camera that Houston told her Dee Dee Warwick abused her.
“She used to say, ‘I wonder if I did something to make her think I wanted her,'” said Jones. “I said, ‘Stop. A predator is a predator.'”
Also Read: Whitney Houston Doc Serves Up Bombshells, Paula Abdul Shade in First Trailer (Video)
Dee Dee Warwick was 18 years older than Houston.
Vulture said Jones believed the molestation deeply affected Houston, causing her to “question her sexual preference.”
Director Kevin Macdonald said in an interview with Vanity Fair that the accusation first came to...
Warwick, sister of Dionne Warwick, died in 2008 and was never publicly accused of sexual abuse. But in the film, Houston’s former assistant, Mary Jones, says on-camera that Houston told her Dee Dee Warwick abused her.
“She used to say, ‘I wonder if I did something to make her think I wanted her,'” said Jones. “I said, ‘Stop. A predator is a predator.'”
Also Read: Whitney Houston Doc Serves Up Bombshells, Paula Abdul Shade in First Trailer (Video)
Dee Dee Warwick was 18 years older than Houston.
Vulture said Jones believed the molestation deeply affected Houston, causing her to “question her sexual preference.”
Director Kevin Macdonald said in an interview with Vanity Fair that the accusation first came to...
- 5/17/2018
- by Ross A. Lincoln and Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
A new documentary about Whitney Houston, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Wednesday, has made stunning allegations about the icon’s early childhood.
In Whitney allegations that the late star was sexually abused by Dee Dee Warwick are brought forth. Warwick was Houston’s cousin and the sister of singer Dionne Warwick.
Dee Dee died in 2008, four years before Houston died after drowning in a bathtub, which was caused in part by heart disease and cocaine use.
Kevin Macdonald, the director of Whitney, told Indiewire that Houston’s half-brother, Gary Garland, told him he had been sexually abused as...
In Whitney allegations that the late star was sexually abused by Dee Dee Warwick are brought forth. Warwick was Houston’s cousin and the sister of singer Dionne Warwick.
Dee Dee died in 2008, four years before Houston died after drowning in a bathtub, which was caused in part by heart disease and cocaine use.
Kevin Macdonald, the director of Whitney, told Indiewire that Houston’s half-brother, Gary Garland, told him he had been sexually abused as...
- 5/17/2018
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
“Whitney” is the second documentary about the life and death of Whitney Houston to come along in a year, and it’s also the second one that’s entrancingly well-done. Here’s the thing about Whitney Houston: She was so incandescent that if you sat through nine documentaries about her, you’d probably experience, each time, what I did during the early scenes of “Whitney” — the hope that somehow, this time, the beautiful enraptured young singer in front of you will find a way to defeat her demons, that they won’t drag her down, that the story will turn out different.
Because surely, it’s one of the most tragic — and, its way, inexplicable — downfalls in the history of American show business. Cocaine addiction, of course, is an insidious monster, but Houston, even after rehab, kept returning to it, as if she wanted to destroy herself. To see her life story is always,...
Because surely, it’s one of the most tragic — and, its way, inexplicable — downfalls in the history of American show business. Cocaine addiction, of course, is an insidious monster, but Houston, even after rehab, kept returning to it, as if she wanted to destroy herself. To see her life story is always,...
- 5/17/2018
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Scottish filmmaker Kevin Macdonald was nearly finished conducting interviews for “Whitney,” his explosive new documentary about the late Whitney Houston, when he came across a revelation: Houston’s brother, Gary Houston, told the director that his cousin, late soul musician Dee Dee Warwick, sexually abused Gary as a child. Additionally, Gary added, he believed that Warwick also abused his sister as a child.
“Whitney,” which premiered at midnight at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, confirms that charge with multiple sources who were close to Whitney Houston prior to her death from drowning in a bathtub in 2012. The information arrives near the end of an involving documentary about the singer’s bumpy life, from the dissolution of her family to her tabloid marriage to Bobby Brown. Similar to 2015’s Oscar-winning documentary “Amy,” which detailed the behind-the-scenes struggles of Amy Winehouse as she developed her public profile, “Whitney” is at once a celebration...
“Whitney,” which premiered at midnight at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, confirms that charge with multiple sources who were close to Whitney Houston prior to her death from drowning in a bathtub in 2012. The information arrives near the end of an involving documentary about the singer’s bumpy life, from the dissolution of her family to her tabloid marriage to Bobby Brown. Similar to 2015’s Oscar-winning documentary “Amy,” which detailed the behind-the-scenes struggles of Amy Winehouse as she developed her public profile, “Whitney” is at once a celebration...
- 5/17/2018
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Kevin Macdonald’s documentary, which has premiered at Cannes and has the backing of the singer’s family, alleges Houston was abused by her cousin, the late sister of Dionne Warwick
A new documentary about the life of Whitney Houston alleges that the singer was sexually abused as a child by her cousin the soul musician Dee Dee Warwick.
Whitney, which is directed by the Scottish film-maker Kevin Macdonald, premiered at the Cannes film festival on Thursday. Described as the definitive story of the global superstar, the film features interviews with many of Houston’s relatives and close acquaintances, two of whom make the claims against Warwick.
A new documentary about the life of Whitney Houston alleges that the singer was sexually abused as a child by her cousin the soul musician Dee Dee Warwick.
Whitney, which is directed by the Scottish film-maker Kevin Macdonald, premiered at the Cannes film festival on Thursday. Described as the definitive story of the global superstar, the film features interviews with many of Houston’s relatives and close acquaintances, two of whom make the claims against Warwick.
- 5/16/2018
- by Gwilym Mumford
- The Guardian - Film News
“Time won’t let me, oh, no.” • The Outsiders, 1965
“Time is on my side, yes it is.” • Kai Winding and his Orchestra (featuring Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick), Irma Thomas, The Rolling Stones, Michael Bolton, Cat Power, Blondie, Wilson Pickett, the O’Jays, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Kim Wilson, Tracy Nelson, Patti Smith, others
I just finished reading my buddy Johnny O’s column about the currently ubiquitous genre of time travel – and by the way, Johnny O, one of my favorite movies is Time After Time as well, which, by the way, was directed by Nicholas Meyer. On the strength of this he got to direct Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, thus reviving the franchise both on the big and small screens.
St has had some great time-travel stories – “Tomorrow is Yesterday” in the first season, and of course “The City on the Edge...
“Time is on my side, yes it is.” • Kai Winding and his Orchestra (featuring Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick), Irma Thomas, The Rolling Stones, Michael Bolton, Cat Power, Blondie, Wilson Pickett, the O’Jays, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Kim Wilson, Tracy Nelson, Patti Smith, others
I just finished reading my buddy Johnny O’s column about the currently ubiquitous genre of time travel – and by the way, Johnny O, one of my favorite movies is Time After Time as well, which, by the way, was directed by Nicholas Meyer. On the strength of this he got to direct Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, thus reviving the franchise both on the big and small screens.
St has had some great time-travel stories – “Tomorrow is Yesterday” in the first season, and of course “The City on the Edge...
- 5/9/2016
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.