Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody Movie Review

In every generation, there are a handful of people who can truly be referred to as a G.O.A.T. One of these is the late singer Whitney Houston.

The new biopic, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, was released on December 23rd. Naomi Ackie steps into Houston’s very large shoes. Playing her equally famous mother Cissy is Tamara Tunie. Supporting her career is legendary record producer/mentor Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci). The film (directed by Kasi Lemmons) follows her life and career from her late teens (when she signed her first contract) to her iconic songs to her tragic death in 2012.

There are good and bad aspects to the film. Ackie disappears into her character. Like Austin Butler in Elvis, she becomes Houston. There is little differentiation between the actor and the person they are playing. The music, as expected, is fantastic. I found myself singing along to the film.

One thing that surprised me was her long-time relationship with Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams). Though it started out as friendship/romance, it became a professional partnership when it became clear that it would impede Houston’s professional orbit.

The bad is that the narrative slows down considerably during the second half of the movie. While it hit all of the expected story points, it was just a little too cliche for me.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is available in theaters.

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Lady Chatterley’s Lover Movie Review

Sometimes, life throws us unexpected curves. What matters is not the curve itself, but how we deal with it.

The new Netflix film, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, is based on the book of the same name by D.H. Lawrence. The starts with the marriage of Constance “Connie” Reid (Emma Corrin) and Sir Clifford Chatterley (Matthew Duckett). It looks like it is going to be a long and fruitful relationship. Then World War I intervenes.

Clifford comes home in a wheelchair. They try to settle into a new normal, but whatever brought them together in the first place is starting to fizzle out. Encouraged by her husband to have an affair in order to extend the family tree, Connie starts sleeping with Oliver Mellors (Jack O’Connell), the estate groundskeeper.

What starts out as a release of pent-up sexual energy turns into something much more. Like all secrets, it eventually comes out. Connie could pretend that it did not happen. The other option is to do what her heart tells her to do and ignore the naysayers.

I’ve never read the book, but I have heard of it. If there was ever a definitive list of banned books, Lady Chatterley’s Lover would surely be at the top. Its frank discussion of sexuality and a woman making her own choices is as relevant now as it was a century ago.

I liked the film. It was well done and well acted. I felt for all of the characters, especially Connie. It is not that Clifford purposefully excluded her, he was just caught up in his own world and forgot to include her.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover is available for streaming on Netflix.