Whitney Houston’s remarkable life and talent are brought to the screen in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, depicting her rise to enormous success and enriching the heartbreak with humanity. Amelia Berry charts what to expect from the upcoming biopic.
Judging by the statistics, it seems pretty cut and dry that Whitney Houston is the greatest singer of all time. The Guinness World Record holder for most-awarded female artist of all time, she racked up more than four hundred career awards, sold more physical singles than any other female solo artist ever, broke Elvis and The Beatles’ records for consecutive number-one singles with a whopping seven, and to top it all off, she was the first artist to perform in post-apartheid South Africa. Now finally that legacy is being celebrated on screen with a lavish and poignant new biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
With so much media focussing on the tragedies and struggle of Whitney Houston’s life, I Wanna Dance is a chance to explore the untold story of her rise to fame: her journey from the church choir to the Super Bowl, the early recordings, and the creation of the iconic music videos that propelled her early stardom. That isn’t to say that Houston’s story is being white-washed, but rather that for the first time audiences can revel in the Whitney the public never knew, placing the triumphs alongside the tragedies, enriching the heartbreak with humanity.
Taking on this hefty task is a creative team with pedigree. Writer Anthony McCarten has a string of great biopics to his name, including Stephen Hawking romance The Theory of Everything, Churchill war drama Darkest Hour, and the lauded Freddie Mercury romp Bohemian Rhapsody. Meanwhile, director Kai Lemmons is hot off the massive acclaim of her last picture, Harriet, a biopic of legendary abolitionist Harriet Tubman, not to mention her directorial debut Eve’s Bayou—recently added to the Criterion Collection and is preserved in the United States National Film Registry.
In the crucial central role is BAFTA Award winner Naomi Ackie, known for her starring role as Bonnie in season two of Netflix’s The End of the F***ing World and as reformed stormtrooper Jannah in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. “The most challenging part of portraying Whitney Houston,” says Ackie, “is portraying Whitney Houston. It’s hard to play a superstar.” But whatever doubts or difficulties Ackie might have had, it’s not at all apparent in the final product. If you’ve seen even the briefest teaser then you can testify to the quality of the performance. In an almost uncanny way, Naomi Ackie becomes Whitney Houston.
“She’s got the big responsibility of bringing the full person of Whitney Houston to the world… and she’s the real deal,” says Clive Davis, Houston’s long-time friend and collaborator, and a key producer of I Wanna Dance. As the music executive who helped to launch Houston’s career, Davis himself is portrayed on screen by veteran actor Stanley Tucci. It’s a performance which is already being applauded by Variety’s Owen Gleiberman, commending Tucci for capturing “the Arista mogul’s bone-dry dictator-mensch savoir faire.”
A driving force behind the creation of the film, Davis is determined to do right by Houston’s legacy. “The TV production of the Whitney story, the documentary of Whitney, both were weak and did not stand for her life, the full picture of who she was,” he said. “The goal of the biopic is to come up with a very realistic, very honest story. As well as capturing her losing battle with addiction, capturing her vocal genius and influence on music and contemporary musicians. Capturing not only pitfalls, but also the professional musical triumphs that she succeeded in accomplishing. To present the full story of Whitney Houston impeccably and [ensure] that it will be realistic in every respect.”
Rounding out the cast is Moonlight’s Ashton Sanders as Houston’s abusive husband Bobby Brown, Law and Order: SVU star Tamara Tunie as Houston’s mother, and Black Lightning’s Nafessa Williams as Robyn Crawford, Houston’s assistant, creative director, and long-term romantic partner.
Of course, the real star of any piece about Whitney Houston is ‘The Voice’, and I Wanna Dance With Somebody gives you the chance to experience her one-of-a-kind vocals like never before. While Ackie herself has a pretty impressive set of pipes (and according to Tucci, her performance on set made the AD cry), the majority of singing that you hear in the film is Houston’s authentic voice, channelled through Ackie’s mesmerising physical performance. “97 percent of it is Whitney singing,” Ackie told Empire, “and it shouldn’t be any other way.”
Ultimately, I Wanna Dance With Somebody is about celebrating Whitney Houston as a charismatic cultural force, a unique talent that exerted massive influence on music, fashion, and beyond. From her early singles like How Will I Know and Greatest Love of All, through to her performance in The Bodyguard—which spawned the greatest selling soundtrack album of all time—across her many timeless hits, it’s hard to find somebody who hasn’t been touched by stunning voice and iconic presence.
More than just a treat for fans of Houston, I Wanna Dance With Somebody presents a deeply compelling and emotional portrait of a brilliant woman. An inspirational story of raw talent and determination standing in the face of discrimination on so many fronts: race, gender, sexuality. It’s a well-worn cliche to say “a film for the whole family” but what else can you say about an event film like this, the perfect excuse to get your friends and family together for the holidays, laugh a little, cry a little, feel a little inspired. In other words, get so emotional baby! Dontcha wanna dance?
