This is of course a bio pic of the singer Whitney Houston, formulaic in the way these films tend to be. Some version of wide eyed innoccenc, tremendous success, romantic and substance abuse issue, some level of redemption, but we know how this one ends. I however wasn't particularly well versed on Houston's life so I did learn some stuff, particularly in regards to her long standing and sometimes romantic relationship with her friend and personal assistant Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams). Also in regards to her career spanning business relationship with producer Clive Davis, played by Stanley Tucci he seemed to be a positive and stabilizing influence in her life. Of course nonaganarian Davis is a producer on the film so of course he's gonna come off well.
The movie works because of the music, which is not given short shift and really allowed to breath. I mean the whole point of the movie is the music, no one in the audiance I saw this with left until after the credits and the music was over, though there were only five of us. Lead Naomi Ackie does a great job as Houston, of course her singing is all dubbed from recordings of the real Whitney, you couldn't make this film any other way. As Whitney sang the National Anthem at an early 90's Super Bowl, and to a lesser extent a few other times in the movie, a tiny techican in my head flipped a switch and out came the water works. For me this was a simple and satisfying, if rather undemanding, film going experince. ***
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