Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

By: Jamie Steinberg

Those pipes. You recognize that voice anywhere. Whitney Houston was a legend and the film Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody explores her rise to fame. We meet her at a pivotal moment – performing at the American Music Awards – but sadly we don’t get enough of a peek at the woman behind the infamous songs.

The film introduces Houston (Naomi Ackie) and her gospel legend mother Cissy (Tamar Tunie) performing at a nightclub. That is where the icon-to-be meets A&R man Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci). Cissy fakes losing her voice in order to shine a light on her daughter to perform “The Greatest Love of All” for him.” Here we see a closeup on Davis’ face and you can just tell what is going on inside his head, “Cha-ching!” Unfortunately, the rest of the film – crafted by writer Anthony McCarten and directed by Kasi Lemmons – feels more like a Cliffs Notes version of Houston’s life rather than a broad perspective. We see an explorative arc of Houston’s life, but far too much of her history was clearly left on the cutting room floor.

However, there are some fascinating parts with Nippy (what Whitney’s friends call her). We explore her lesbian relationship with Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams) – something fans should be thankful to Lemmons for not avoiding this important part of her life. We also see her sign with Davis and find ourselves fascinated by the advice her parents offer – suggesting she tone down her masculine appearance in order to become the pop princess we will come to love. Unfortunately, these integral moments though fly by fast, and we soon solely focus on her burgeoning and then booming music career. Sadly, far too many moments of Whitney Houston’s incredible career highlights are skimmed.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody falls a bit flat in exploring the singer as a person. Viewers will wish there was more focus on her marriage to Bobby Brown and how it influenced her relationship with her family. Obviously, there is an audience for Whitney’s music that will forever highlight her lofty and well-deserved career. However, the movie reads less of a biography and more of a snapshot at powerful singer that is gone too soon.