‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ Is A Respectful Depiction Of The Highs And Lows Of Whitney Houston’s Life
Kasi Lemmons directed I Wanna Dance With Somebody, which tells the story of one of the greatest talents of a generation. Both the singer’s ascent and descent are highlighted in the candid Whitney Houston biopic set for release today, as well as the major life events that contributed to each.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody, starring Naomi Ackie as Whitney “Nippy” Houston, Tamara Tunie as Cissy Houston, and Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis, begins in the church with a solo from a teenaged Whitney that is followed up by a contentious private music lesson with her mother, Cissy. A slight rebelliousness emerges from young Whitney while she challenges her mother’s music instruction, alone with her in the dimly lit church. The scene foreshadows what would come to define The Newark-bred star’s legacy in part – the innate struggle between the flesh and the spirit, and the tug of war that comes along with deciding to use one’s gifts for “the world” or for “the church.”
Cissy’s influential role in shaping her daughter to become one of the bestselling artists in music history is transparently shared in “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” In a telling scene early in the movie, Cissy coughs when she notices record executive Davis in the audience of a venue where she was supposed to perform. She removes herself from singing a powerful song so that Whitney can belt it out before the musical producer. After Whitney sings, Davis immediately recognizes her as “the voice” of a generation and decides to sign her. Even though it is made clear early on in the film that Cissy, as a mom and a businesswoman, wasn’t simply throwing her daughter to the wolves, Lemmons explores the close mother-daughter dynamic in the film, but also makes sure to include Whitney’s struggles with her mom and dad.
The film does not just explore Whitney’s relationship with her parents, but also that of her entire family and extended members. It was Whitney’s brothers who introduced her to drugs, not her future husband Bobby Brown, as he’s long been accused, for instance, by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten. The film also includes the likely possibility that Whitney had a relationship with her long-time assistant and creative director Robyn Crawford, played by Nafessa Williams.
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It’s evident that Whitney’s parents didn’t approve of her relationship, which may have caused the entertainer to feel guilty. Whitney’s awareness of her duplicitous identity is demonstrated by the contrasting instructions she is given by her father and Crawford.
One of the strongest aspects of I Wanna Dance With Somebody’s storytelling is the way it captures the process of creating a brand identity and the psychological implications that often come along with upholding that persona against one’s lived reality. The film details Whitney’s personal struggles with other people’s perceptions of her at great length. She was branded as “America’s Pop Princess” and had cross-over success and national appeal. She was perceived as not being Black enough by the African American community, but on the other hand she was seen as black. “What defines a Black artist?” is posed as a question throughout the film, with Whitney quipping “They are calling me an oreo” at one point.
In this film, Whitney’s personal struggles with addiction are handled with great care, in contrast to the dominant portrayals of her in pop culture. Her downward spiral isn’t made a mockery of in this project. “To whom much is given, much is required,” is a Biblical saying, and Whitney Houston was arguably a woman who loved God and was given the gift of singing and captivating audiences. Being responsible for the livelihoods of those closest to her required more than she could handle, and this film fairly depicts that.
Although she doesn’t physically resemble the singer, Ackie shines as Whitney and portrays her with ease. Ashton Sanders excelled in his role as Bobby Brown, from the sound of his voice, to the embodiment of his mannerisms. Both Clarke Peters as John Houston and Tunie as Cissy bring nuance and clarity to their roles, which denote their many years of acting experience. Tucci portrays Clive Davis with precision and even a little humor. The intriguing Williams as Robyn shows the breadth of her range. The beginning of the film spends too much time showcasing the friendship and courtship between Robyn and Whitney.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody would have worked better as a mini-series because it is too long as a film at 2 hours and 26 minutes. The biopic is often outshined by the soundtrack. The skilled leads and ensemble cast help to anchor the screenplay; however, The production design from Gerald Sullivan and the art direction from David Offner create the kind of 80’s, 90’s and 2,000’s nostalgia moviegoers crave. Charlese Antoinette Jones is a costume designer who also styles the cast and brings attention to detail to every film project she takes on.
