Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

A biography following Whitney Houston's career from a church choir to her last years. It begins with Clive Davis discovering her and shows the workings of the record industry in detail: choosing songs, recording, promotion, and her music being deemed right for white radio while Black listeners found it over-polished. Its best passages are the performances: the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl and the long medley at the 1994 American Music Awards are rebuilt shot by shot. Naomi Ackie plays her, with Houston's own voice. Her relationship with Robyn Crawford is present openly, a section usually passed over in earlier accounts. Anthony McCarten wrote the script, as he did for Bohemian Rhapsody, and the two films are built similarly. Clive Davis and Houston's family were directly involved in the production. Stanley Tucci plays Davis. Enjoyable for anyone who loves her music and wants to watch the performances. For a viewer expecting a critical portrait, this is approved by the family and the label; the addiction and the violence are passed through quickly and nobody is really held responsible.