‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ Checks All the Biopic Boxes (Yawn)

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” feels like a CliffsNotes version of Whitney Houston’s life story.

The film hits all the obligatory notes, from Houston’s triumphant Super Bowl performance to her combustible private life, without digging beneath the surface.

Who was Whitney Houston, music superstar? How did she channel that incredible voice to bounce The Beatles from the record books? What made her ripe for such a tragic, yet predictable, downfall?

Rush, rush rush. So why does the biopic clock in at nearly two and a half hours long?

Naomi Ackie stars as Whitney, a soul singer nudged toward greatness by her singing ma Cissy Houston (Tamara Tunie). That training lasts all of one scene (we’re not even given a “Rocky”-like montage!).

Suddenly Whitney is so polished she...

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Dec 21st 2022
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