Whitney: Can I Be Me | |
---|---|
Directed by | Nick Broomfield Rudi Dolezal |
Written by | Nick Broomfield |
Produced by | Nick Broomfield Marc Hoeferlin |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Sam Mitchell |
Edited by | Marc Hoeferlin |
Music by | Nick Laird-Clowes |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | BBC (UK) (TV) Showtime Networks (USA) (TV) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
Countries | United States United Kingdom |
Languages | English French |
Whitney: Can I Be Me is a 2017 British-American documentary film that was written, co-produced by Nick Broomfield and directed by Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal. [1] The film's subject is the life and career of singer Whitney Houston. [2]
Using Whitney Houston's death on February 11, 2012 as a starting point, the documentary investigates Houston's history and her emotional connections with her family and friends. The film uses archive footage from Houston's 1999 World Tour mixed with testimonies from Houston's family, friends and musicians who worked with her. [3] The documentary gives special attention to her relationships with her mother, father, husband, and daughter and her onetime best friend Robyn Crawford. The film also addresses Houston's history of drug use, including allegations of an overdose in the 1990s. [4] The film touches upon Houston's beginnings as a gospel singer, her discovery by Arista Records's head Clive Davis, and key moments such as the releases of her debut album in 1985 and the film The Bodyguard in 1992.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 87% based on 67 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Whitney: Can I Be Me offers a sobering inside look at the tragic downfall of a brilliant performer, even as it leaves the audience yearning for deeper insight." [5] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [6]
Grizzly Man (2005) is an American documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. It chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell and the death of his girlfriend Amie Huguenard at Katmai National Park, Alaska. The film includes some of Treadwell's own footage of his interactions with brown bears before 2003, and of interviews with people who knew or were involved with Treadwell, in addition to those of professionals who deal with wild bears.
The Gleaners and I is a 2000 French documentary film by Agnès Varda that features various kinds of gleaning. It was entered into competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, and later went on to win awards around the world. In a 2014 Sight & Sound poll, film critics voted The Gleaners and I the eighth best documentary film of all time. In 2016, the film appeared at No. 99 on BBC's list of the 100 greatest films of the 21st century. The film was included for the first time in 2022 on the critics' poll of Sight and Sound's list of the greatest films of all time, at number 67.
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is a 2007 documentary film directed by Julien Temple about Joe Strummer, the lead singer of the British punk rock band The Clash, that went on to win the British Independent Film Awards as Best British Documentary 2007. The film premiered 20 January 2007 at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. It was also shown at the Dublin Film Festival on 24 February 2007.
Waking Sleeping Beauty is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Disney film producer Don Hahn and produced by Hahn and former Disney executive Peter Schneider. The film documents the history of Walt Disney Feature Animation from 1984 to 1994, covering the rise of a period referred to as the Disney Renaissance.
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey is a 2011 American documentary film about Kevin Clash, the puppeteer behind the Sesame Street character Elmo who became a rising star and created a global sensation. “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” was one of the most talked about documentaries coming out of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
Katy Perry: Part of Me is a 2012 American 3D autobiographical documentary concert film about Katy Perry. It was directed by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz and released in the United States, Canada, the UK and Ireland on July 5, 2012. The film follows Perry through her California Dreams Tour, while providing an insight into the singer's journey with stardom and detailing various aspects of her professional and personal life. It is interspersed with various moments of emotional weight and deep significance to Perry.
Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me is a 2014 American documentary film about country music singer Glen Campbell. Campbell and close friend Julian Raymond won a Grammy Award and were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for writing the film's theme "I'm Not Gonna Miss You".
What Happened, Miss Simone? is a 2015 American biographical documentary film about Nina Simone directed by Liz Garbus. The film opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The screening was followed by a tribute performance by John Legend. The film was released by Netflix on June 26, 2015. It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 88th Academy Awards.
Whitney is a 2015 American biographical film directed by Angela Bassett based on American singer Whitney Houston and her turbulent marriage to R&B artist Bobby Brown that premiered on Lifetime in North America on January 17, 2015. Whitney received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with DaCosta's performance as Houston and Bassett's direction being praised but Escarpeta's casting and the film's accuracy being criticized.
Spielberg is a 2017 American documentary film directed by Susan Lacy, and is centered on the career of film director Steven Spielberg. It premiered at the 2017 New York Film Festival and aired on HBO on October 7, 2017.
Mifune: The Last Samurai, also known as Mifune, is a 2015 biographical documentary directed by Steven Okazaki. It chronicles the life of Toshiro Mifune, a Japanese actor and international star most noted for playing samurai characters in films by Akira Kurosawa.
Whitney is a 2018 documentary film about the American singer and actress Whitney Houston. The film was directed by Kevin Macdonald and produced by Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn and Lisa Erspamer. Whitney was screened out of competition at the world premiere as part of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2018 with a cinema release on 6 July 2018. The film was also released on home media where it debuted at number one on the UK Official Music Video Chart. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences and grossed $4.7 million worldwide at the box office. In December 2018, Whitney was nominated at the 61st Grammy Awards for Best Music Film.
Rudi Dolezal is an Austrian film producer and film director best known for his music videos. He has directed and produced videos for artists such as Tom Waits, the Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Sandra Cretu and Whitney Houston.
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love is a 2019 documentary film directed by Nick Broomfield, about the relationship between writer and singer Leonard Cohen and his "muse" Marianne Ihlen, in particular their time spent on the Greek island of Hydra in the 1960s and 1970s. She was the inspiration behind "So Long, Marianne", "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" and "Bird on the Wire."
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice is a 2019 documentary film about American singer Linda Ronstadt. It was directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. It features interviews with many of Ronstadt's friends and fellow artists.
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a 2022 American biographical musical drama film directed by Kasi Lemmons, from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, based on the life and career of American singer and actress Whitney Houston. The film stars Naomi Ackie as Houston with Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Nafessa Williams, and Clarke Peters in supporting roles.
Pretend It's a City is a 2021 American documentary series directed by Martin Scorsese featuring interviews and conversations between Scorsese and Fran Lebowitz. The series was released on January 8, 2021, on Netflix.
Kid 90 is a 2021 American documentary film directed and produced by Soleil Moon Frye. The film follows Moon Frye who carried a camera around with her everywhere she went. Leonardo DiCaprio serves as an executive producer under his Appian Way Productions banner.
Val is a 2021 American documentary film directed and produced by Leo Scott and Ting Poo. It follows the life and career of actor Val Kilmer. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 7, 2021, and was released in a limited release on July 23, 2021, prior to digital streaming on Prime Video on August 6, by Amazon Studios.
Nuclear Family is an American documentary miniseries directed and produced by Ry Russo-Young. It follows Russo-Young's mothers as an unexpected lawsuit sends shockwaves throughout their family's lives. It consisted of 3 episodes and premiered on September 26, 2021, on HBO.