I Wanna Dance with Somebody

I Wanna Dance with Somebody

The joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time. Tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.

  • Released: 2022-12-21
  • Runtime: 146 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, History, Music
  • Stars: Naomi Ackie, Ashton Sanders, Stanley Tucci, Nafessa Williams, Lance A. Williams, Tamara Tunie, Clarke Peters, Daniel Washington, JaQuan Malik Jones, Kris Sidberry, Bailee Lopes, Bria Danielle Singleton, Adrian M. Mompoint, Coffey, Stew Replogle, Chanel Rose Connor, Sean Amos, Jon F. Merz
  • Director: Kasi Lemmons
 Comments
  • MickyG333 - 8 April 2024
    One of the greats
    7.6 stars.

    This film is done exactly the way it is needed. First of all, Whitney Houston was a pop icon from days gone by. She is not someone that all the kids are very familiar with. Yes, they've all heard of her, who hasn't, but they are probably not familiar with her music beyond listening to a song or two and being told by their parents that she was the greatest. So seeing this movie will likely be the first real exposure that most of the audience has with Houston. For people like me and all those 40 and above, sure, we already know this stuff.

    Brown is not portrayed as the utter cretin that we all grew up believing him to be. Was that fake news then, or is this movie fake news? I don't know, but in this film he is not the big bad monster we were led to believe. So, does that mean he also helped produce the film? I bet he did, although I have no idea, just a theory. Otherwise, we probably would've seen the truth.

    This is a lot of fluff that showcases two people: the actress Ackie who can flat out sing, and Houston herself who had the best female voice that I've ever heard in my life. Sure there are a few others like Carey, Dion, Streisand, but they were just a notch below Houston. I saw an article that says Houston was 6th on the top list of all time. Give me a break. No way. Her voice was perfect, but beyond that she had charisma and spunk that many others don't have and her voice transported us to another place. Just listening to her songs in this movie brings back those dreamy memories of my youth, like nothing else does, except for Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, BSB (what?).

    This movie does provide the realistic impression of how she was pressured so intensely by her fame that she could not handle it. And who can handle that sort of fame? I haven't seen one person in my life that can. Here is a short list: Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Elton John, Madonna, Elvis, Sinatra. How many of the ones on this list actually ended up NOT taking drugs and sabotaging their own lives just to survive? None of them. They could never truly retire, couldn't relax a moment, because their music was so iconic that the crowd never let up.
  • Pjtaylor-96-138044 - 17 September 2023
    It's about wanting to dance with somebody...
    This meek music biopic is as inoffensive as it is uninspiring, a check-mark "true story" that's written with all the pizzazz of a Wikipedia article and is just about as insightful. Despite solid performances from most of the cast (particularly Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston and Stanley Tucci as her surprisingly not-a-creep producer), 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022)' does nothing to disprove its genre's less-than-stellar reputation. It isn't especially bad, but it feels notably lazy. It's almost as if it solely exists to cash in on the fame of its posthumous subject and the inherent audience interest she still compels; it doesn't feel like it's actually about anything at all, thematically speaking. It pretty much covers its star's entire career, rushing past key moments to clear the way for extended song sequences that use Houston's original audio but amount to little more than well-produced lip sync sessions. There's little in the way of character development, and most of the picture plays out as a series of predetermined reactions that serve to push the story forward without affording the protagonist any real agency of her own. The film's workmanlike aesthetic is serviceable, but it doesn't really have all that much cinematic flair; in fact, it lacks any real semblance of style. It's telling that the best aspects of the affair are the various song performances it contains, especially since it's the pre-existing audio that's really holding your attention. Generally, the experience is engaging enough to keep you watching, but it never even comes close to being gripping enough to stop you glancing at the clock. Most of its aspects are at least competent and there are several scenes that work fairly well. Plus, some of its ideas are really interesting (such as Houston's complicated relationship with her "best friend") and I wish they focused more on those elements. Ultimately, this will do if you just want to see a by-the-numbers take on its star's career, but will leave you unsatisfied if you want, for lack of a better term, an actual movie with themes and messages and stylistic flair. It's fine, but Houston - like so many other cinematically mistreated music artists - deserves much more than fine.