How accurate the portrayal of Whitney Houston is in I Wanna Dance with Somebody is only known to her close inner circle. What we are presented with is an immensely talented woman with few people truly in her corner and surrounded by those incapable of giving her the mental support she needed.
Her immediate family sees her as a meal ticket and various members of the public are unfair in their assessment of the music she chooses to perform. Few can understand the enormous pressure that comes with a talent that big. Whitney seemed unprepared to handle that level of adoration and to zero in on what was expected from her material-wise.
The film is light on the sordid details and this approach highlights the magic in that voice and stage presence. This is fine as evidence of her descent into drug-fuelled madness has already been heavily displayed on the television show she did with her then-husband called Being Bobby Brown. The film also wisely uses Houston’s actual voice in the big musical numbers.
This biopic mixes the triumphant with the tragic while telling the story of talent lost. There are stellar performances that are underlined with sadness as we get to know this generational vocal talent lost long before her time. This is a celebration of her life not a tale of all of her more than ample excesses.
Rob Hudson
