Author: The Double Scoop
If you were expecting to get a more in depth look into the life of Whitney Houston after watching the biopic that premiered on Lifetime last weekend, than you probably felt unsatisfied.
A more appropriate title for the movie could have been The Whitney and Bobby Love Story as the movie focused more on the couple’s relationship rather than her actual music career. The movie also didn’t waste any time highlighting the late singer’s drug use. It seemed as though the director and writers wanted to humanize Whitney. People forget that at the end of the day despite how much money or fame a person obtains, they are still human just like everyone else. Whitney was adored by many and was placed on a pedestal so high that when she fell from grace people looked for someone to blame instead of holding her accountable for some of her actions. Unfortunately throughout the years majority of the blame was placed on her ex-husband Bobby Brown.
The movie showed a more vulnerable side to Brown which left many viewers feeling sympathetic towards him. People forget that Brown was 19 years old when he was first introduced to the star who was 26 at the time. The media over the years has painted Brown out to be the bad boy that brought Whitney’s career downhill and got her addicted to drugs. In contrast the movie shows that drugs were a part of the singer’s life well before Brown came into the picture. Shortly after Houston’s death Oprah Winfrey sat down for an interview with Whitney’s mom, Cissy and her brother Michael Brown. During the interview her brother took responsibility for introducing Whitney to drugs.
The casting for the movie was superb and the chemistry between Yaya DaCosta and Arlene Escarpeta was undeniable. The sex scenes in the film left little to the imagination but I believe the director’s point was to show how strong and passionate Whitney and Bobby’s love was for one another. These were two people who were madly and crazy in love with each other. Although their relationship at times became volatile, their love ran deep. DaCosta did a great job portraying Whitney’s mannerisms although her acting became a little too dramatic at times and the lip singing was very apparent. Arelene Escarpeta has starred in a few films but his portrayal of Bobby Brown in this movie could possibly be his break out role as he delivered the character’s emotion so convincingly. He was also giving the ladies some eye candy; the man is fine! 😉 Deborah Cox did an amazing job on the vocals. People always argue that no one will ever be able to sing like Whitney, which they won’t because Whitney was her own but you can’t deny that Deborah did a great job. At times during the movie her voice sounded very similar to the pop icon.
Overall the movie was good but it didn’t capture the true essence of Whitney Houston as it lacked what she was most known for which is her music. There was no way a 2 hour television movie could tell the full story of Whitney Houston, but it focused on an essential part of her life which gave viewers a new perspective. People seemed to have either loved the movie or hated it but we enjoyed it. Kudos to Angela Bassett for her directorial debut!
What did ya’ll think of the movie?
