Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody Parent Guide

Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie) was born with two gifts: first, a spectacular voice, and second, a mother (Tamara Tunie) whose own musical career enabled her to train her daughter and give her the exposure necessary to make it in the music industry. But even for a girl with a golden voice, there are no guarantees…

Moviegoers over the age of twenty will be familiar with Whitney Houston’s hit songs and amazing vocal range. Director Kasi Lemmons is clearly fascinated by Ms. Houston and her musical gifts and tries to help audiences understand the artist and enjoy her most iconic performances. She almost pulls it off.

Where I Wanna Dance With Somebody succeeds is in recreating the magic of Whitney Houston’s performances. The filmmakers wisely used Houston’s original vocals – after all, who can reproduce a once-in-a-generation voice? – and managed to find, in Naomi Ackie, an actress who capably lip-synchs the lyrics. The scenes where Houston’s voice soars into the theater are easily the best parts of the movie.

Ms. Lemmons is somewhat less successful in helping us understand Whitney Houston’s inner life. For an overlong film, I Wanna Dance With Somebody feels rushed, with some important issues being short-changed. Houston’s lesbian relationship with Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams) starts believably but evolves into a platonic friendship with only minimal discussion. The long-term effects of giving up that relationship are also not explored. Houston’s marriage is equally difficult to understand: it’s never entirely clear why she decides to marry Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders), a man six years her junior who comes with lots of baggage, including a pregnant ex-girlfriend. Audiences will also wonder why Houston has such a hard time fighting free of her dishonest and manipulative father (Clarke Peters). In fact, the only relationship in the film that makes sense is the one with her mother. Cissy Houston knows exactly what it takes to make it in the music industry, but she never forgets that her daughter is a person with limits and vulnerabilities.

Sadly, Whitney Houston’s vulnerabilities are widely known: her drug use was tabloid fodder for years before her unfortunate death. The film doesn’t gloss over her addictions and Houston is shown getting drunk, smoking marijuana, and using crack. None of this behavior is glamorized and one wrenching scene sees her, stoned and sitting in a walk-in closet, where the walls are covered in scribbled words and strange images. This movie is practically an extended play version of a “Just Say No” ad. For me, one of the most wrenching sights is Whitney Houston smoking cigarettes, despite the cost to her voice. As her ever-faithful producer, Clive Davis tells her, “For you, smoking is like leaving a stradivarius out in the rain.” The abuse of such a precious natural gift is hard to watch.

Much of this film is hard to watch, and it doesn’t end well. Whitney Houston’s life is a matter of public record, and for the 50-year-olds in the theater with me, it’s a matter of memory. For older audiences, this movie is a stroll down a musical memory lane. Whether or not this will appeal to younger audiences remains to be seen.