An authorized biopic on Houston's life was announced in early 2020, with Ackie cast in the lead role that December, and the rest of the cast signing on later the next year. Produced on a $45 million budget, filming took place in Massachusetts and New Jersey from August to December 2021.
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody was released in the United States on December 23, 2022, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $59.8 million.
Plot
In 1983, 19-year-old Whitney Houston is being coached by her mother Cissy while leading a church choir in New Jersey. A professional singer herself, Cissy pushes her daughter to be better, though being hard on her at times. Whitney finds solace in a friendship with Robyn Crawford, which turns romantic, and they later move into their own apartment, much to the chagrin of Cissy. One night, Cissy and Whitney are set to perform at the Sweetwaters nightclub. After spotting producerClive Davis in the audience, Cissy feigns sickness and encourages Whitney to open the show. Whitney performs "The Greatest Love of All", which impresses Davis, who immediately signs Whitney to Arista Records.
He books her for her first major live performance on The Merv Griffin Show, where she gives a performance of "Home". Soon afterwards, Whitney releases a highly successful debut album, and sets up her production company, Nippy Inc., run by her overbearing father and self-appointed manager, John. When Whitney wants to hire Robyn as a personal assistant, John refuses due to their personal relationship and tells the pair to date men, to Robyn's dismay.
After recording a love song with Jermaine Jackson, the two start a sexual relationship, which angers Robyn. After a fight, Robyn breaks down and Whitney ends their romantic relationship, but remain close friends. In 1987, Whitney releases her second album and its leading single, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", which makes her a crossover success. However, she is accused by a radio show interviewer of selling out and not sounding "black enough", to which Whitney angrily defends herself.
Attending the 1988 Soul Train Music Awards, Whitney is met with protesters at the red carpet and her name is booed after singer Anita Baker announces her as one of the nominees for Best Music Video. Whitney meets singer Bobby Brown, who later proposes to her in their limousine, and she accepts. Shortly afterwards, Bobby informs her that he impregnated his ex-girlfriend, leading an enraged Whitney to storm out of the limousine, but they quickly reconcile.
In the early 1990s, Whitney is at her peak, performing "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV and acting in the film The Bodyguard, and going on tour, performing "I Will Always Love You" at a stadium in South Africa for newly inaugurated president Nelson Mandela. Following a miscarriage, she later marries Bobby and has a daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. One night, Whitney returns home to find Bobby gone and her credit card missing. When he returns the following morning, the two argue, resulting in her throwing him out of the house and using drugs to cope.
In 1998, Clive meets with Whitney to discuss her not releasing a new studio album in over eight years, despite releasing seven major singles and starring in three films. Inspired by her tumultuous relationship with Brown, Whitney records the ballad "Why Does It Hurt So Bad", despite rejecting it several times before. Later, she confronts her father about spending too much of her money on expensive gifts, leaving her near broke, and then discovers that he has been negotiating a new $100 million contract with Arista behind her back.
Later, dealing with insomnia, Whitney goes to Clive's hotel room and asks him to show her potential songs. Upon finding one she likes, a new studio album is released. She also informs Clive that she is going on tour (to stable her finances), and Clive warns her about burning out, but she dismisses his worries. The following tour is exhausting, and leads to Houston having a mental and physical decline in which she descends to drug addiction, damaging her voice and reputation. Davis urges her to enter rehab, but she refuses.
Near the tour's end, Robyn and Bobby argue, after the former attempts to get Whitney to return home and end the tour. In the end, she chooses to continue the tour, leading to Robyn leaving Whitney's life. Before leaving, she tells her that her father is dying in a hospital. There, Whitney is confronted with a $100 million lawsuit from John's company. She cuts ties with her father, even refusing to attend his funeral. Cissy finds her daughter in a drug-induced haze and orders her to rehab by a police order. Eventually, Whitney sobers up, reconnects with daughter Krissy, and divorces Brown.
In 2009, Houston attempts a comeback with a new album and performs one of its tracks on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Following the performance, Clive visits Whitney and she tells him that she is interested in going back on tour, but Clive advises her to rest. Nevertheless, she goes on with the tour, which proves disastrous and prompts walkouts due to her performance.
In February 2012, Houston arrives at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles to perform "Home" at a pre-Grammy party. Her bassist Rickey advises her to call it off and rest, but she refuses. At the hotel's bar, she and the bartender reminisce. In her hotel room, a tearful Houston begins running bath water, with a bag of drugs bought earlier that day from her dealer, and sings "Home" to herself while reminiscing about her life and career before dying suddenly.
On April 22, 2020, Stella Meghie was set to direct a Whitney Houston biopic, titled I Wanna Dance with Somebody, with Anthony McCarten attached to pen the screenplay and produce the film along with Clive Davis, Pat Houston, Larry Mestel, Denis O'Sullivan and Jeff Kalligheri.[4] McCarten, who self-financed an option for Houston's life rights, wrote the script on spec, and lined up rights and music.[4][5] On August 4, 2020, TriStar Pictures acquired the film.[5] On September 1, 2021, Kasi Lemmons took over directing duties from Meghie who eventually served as an executive producer.[6]
The film was expected to begin principal photography on August 9, 2021, in Newark, New Jersey and Boston, Massachusetts, according to one source.[13] In August 2021, Compelling Pictures was in pre-production on the film at Marina Studios in Boston.[14] In October and November, scenes were shot in Arlington, Massachusetts, as well as at Worcester Regional Airport, Wang Theater, Cutler Majestic Theatre and Gillette Stadium.[15][16]
The film was released for VOD on February 7, 2023, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on February 28, 2023.[21] It later released on the streaming service Netflix on April 22, 2023.[22]
Reception
Box office
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody grossed $23.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $36.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $59.8 million.[2][3]
In the United States and Canada, I Wanna Dance With Somebody was released alongside Babylon, and was initially projected to gross $20–25 million from 3,625 theaters over its four-day opening weekend.[1][23] The film made $20 million on its first day, including $3 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $55.3 million in its opening weekend (and a total of $81 million over the four days), finishing second behind Avatar: The Way of Water. Deadline cited the threat of a tripledemic surge in COVID-19 and flu cases and the nationwide impact of Winter Storm Elliott as reasons for lower-than-expected theater attendance.[24] The film held well in its second weekend, dropping just 16 percent to $64 million, finishing in second.[25]
In the United Kingdom, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody debuted in second place, behind Avatar: The Way of Water. The film grossed £3.3 million ($3.9 million) in its opening weekend.[26] It held its place of second the following week, grossing £1.3 million for a total of £6.2 million ($7.5 million).[27]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 44% of 132 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10.The website's consensus reads: "Another wiki-biopic for posterity's sake, the relatively watchable I Wanna Dance with Somebody leaves you feeling like you were on stage with Whitney Houston, but didn't really get to dance with her."[28]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[29] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 88% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 68% saying they would definitely recommend it.[24]
The film was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Feature Motion Picture at the 70th Motion Picture Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards.[32]
Kasi Lemmons was nominated for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture for I Wanna Dance with Somebody at the 54th NAACP Image Awards.[33]
In 2023, the film was nominated for Best Movie at the 23rd BET Awards 2023. [12]
Related Research Articles
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, record producer, actress, film producer, and philanthropist. Known as "the Voice", she is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of music and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 220 million records sold worldwide. She influenced many singers in the recording industry, and was known for her powerful, soulful vocals, vocal improvisation skills, use of gospel singing techniques in pop music, and live performances. Houston had 11 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the only artist to have seven consecutive number-one singles on the chart. She also enhanced her popularity by entering the film industry. Her accolades include eight Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards, two Emmy Awards, and 30 Guinness World Records. Houston's inductions include the Grammy Hall of Fame (twice), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the BET Walk of Fame, the Soul Train Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Whitney is the second studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released on June 2, 1987, by Arista Records as the follow-up to her debut album. The album features five top 10 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, which also became international hits. The album's first four singles—"I Wanna Dance with Somebody ", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"—all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100, making her the first female act to achieve four number-one hits from one album.
Tamara Tunie is an American film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her roles as attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns and as medical examiner Melinda Warner in the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2000–2021). Tunie also appeared in films such as Rising Sun (1993), The Devil's Advocate (1997), The Caveman's Valentine (2001) receiving Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female nomination, Flight (2012), and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022).
Kasi Lemmons is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She made her directorial debut with Eve's Bayou (1997), followed by Talk to Me (2007), Black Nativity (2013), Harriet (2019), and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022). She also directed the Netflix limited series Self Made (2020), and an episode of ABC's Women of the Movement (2022).
"How Will I Know" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her self-titled debut studio album. The song was released on November 22, 1985, by Arista Records as the album's third single. Originally written and composed by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, the song was originally intended for R&B singer Janet Jackson, but she passed on it. Houston then recorded the song with altered lyrics and production from Narada Michael Walden. The lyrics speak about the protagonist trying to discern if a boy she likes will ever like her back.
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, Whitney (1987). It was released as the lead single from the album on May 1987, by Arista Records. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden, and written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, of the band Boy Meets Girl, who had previously collaborated with Houston on "How Will I Know".
"So Emotional" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. It was released as the third single from her second studio album Whitney (1987) on October 12, 1987 by Arista Records. The song was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and produced by Narada Michael Walden.
"I'm Your Baby Tonight" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston from her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990). Written and produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface, in Australia and most European countries it was released as the album's lead single by Arista Records on September 28, 1990; in the United States, the release date was October 2. Following the release of her second studio album Whitney (1987), Houston became the first woman ever to debut atop the Billboard 200; despite this, critics deemed it safe and formulaic. Additionally, she was booed at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards and accused of being "not black enough"; Houston decided she needed to change her sound if she wanted to recapture black audiences.
Anthony McCarten is a New Zealand writer and filmmaker. He is best known for writing big-budget biopics The Theory of Everything (2014), Darkest Hour (2017), Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), The Two Popes (2019), and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022). McCarten has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including twice for Best Adapted Screenplay, for The Theory of Everything and The Two Popes.
The Moment of Truth World Tour was the second worldwide tour by American recording artist Whitney Houston and supported her multi-platinum hit album Whitney. The trek started on July 4, 1987 in North America and continued overseas during 1988 in Europe, Asia and Australia.
Whitney - The Concert for a New South Africa was the title of three concerts which American singer Whitney Houston performed in South Africa to honor President Nelson Mandela in November 1994.
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. Bassett was nominated at the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Miniseries or TV Film and at the Black Reel Awards for Outstanding Director in a Television Miniseries or Movie.
Stella Meghie is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She is known for her feature films Jean of the Joneses (2016), Everything, Everything (2017), The Weekend (2018), and The Photograph (2020). Meghie has also directed episodes for television series including Grown-ish, Insecure and First Wives Club.
Ashton Durrand Sanders is an American actor best known for his portrayal of teenage Chiron in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight (2016). He has since acted in films such as The Equalizer 2 (2017), All Day and a Night (2020), and Judas and the Black Messiah (2020). He portrayed Bigger Thomas in Native Son (2019) and Bobby Brown in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022).
Nafessa Williams is an American actress. She is most known for her 2011 role as Nicole Gordon in the Meek Mill film Streets, her 2011 role as Deanna Forbes on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, and her 2016 role as Dr. Charlotte Piel on the CBS drama Code Black. From 2018 to 2021, she has played Anissa Pierce in The CW's Black Lightning. Williams portrayed Robyn Crawford in the 2022 Whitney Houston biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
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. The film's subject is the life and career of singer Whitney Houston.
Naomi Sarah Ackie is an English actress. She made her television debut as Jen in the Doctor Who episode "Face the Raven" (2015). For her role as Bonnie on the television dark comedy-drama series The End of the F***ing World, she received the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2020. Ackie is well known for her role as Jannah in the film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). In 2021, she had a main role on the third season of Master of None. In 2022, she garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of American pop icon, singer Whitney Houston in the biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, earning a Rising Star nomination at the British Academy Film Awards.
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.
I Wanna Dance with Somebody is the soundtrack album to the biographical film, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, based on the life of American pop singer and actress Whitney Houston. The soundtrack was released by RCA Records on December 16, 2022, a week before the film's theatrical release. The album was produced by Rodney Jerkins and Marvin "Tony" Hemmings and executive produced by Clive Davis, who also serves as one of the producers of the film.
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