Sony Pictures’ Whitney Houston biopic starring Naomi Ackie has been test-screened in Las Vegas. Ackie plays the late iconic R&B singer, whose hit song inspired the title.
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is directed by Kasi Lemmons (“Harriet”) from a screenplay written by Anthony McCarten, the writer behind acclaimed biopics such as Darkest Hour and Bohemian Rhapsody.
“This was a standard biopic, but Naomi Ackie is amazing as Whitney. Moonlight’s Ashton Sanders was so good as Bobby Brown. Stanley Tucci as Clive Barker is also good, charming and funny, they even note Davis’ bisexuality.”
“Brown is portrayed as a little worm. They highlight that Whitney was 6 years older than him and he was trouble from the get-go. It’s all very lighthearted, until it’s not. This was penned by the same guy who wrote “Bohemian Rhapsody” but at least here he got to tell the dirty details.”
“All in all a solid 150 minute movie. Barry Ackroyd shot it. They spend a great deal showing Whitney’s lesbian relationship. Much like in ‘Bohemian’ there’s re-enactments of Whitney’s iconic musical performances and such. Those were highlights, but it’s very digitally shot, not much of an auteur movie for Kasi Lemmons, and kinda bland-looking, but I liked it.”
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” will be released in theaters on December 21, 2022.