[yasr_overall_rating]
An in-depth look at the life and music of Whitney Houston.
It is obvious throughout this film that Director Kevin Macdonald had a lot of access to the family secrets while he assembled a telling story about the music icon known as Whitney Houston. While this isn’t the first movie since the singer’s death in 2012, it appears to be more concise about what led to her demise, including new information regarding when she was actually introduced to drugs and also bombshell information about the singer being sexually abused. The greatest revelations come directly from family members which include her famous mother, Sissy Houston, her brothers, Michael and Gary, as well as her longtime assistant, Mary Jones. A great deal is also revealed about the relationship between Whitney and her father, John Houston, as well as her relationship with her assistant Robyn Crawford and with her husband Bobby Brown and their daughter Bobbie Kristina.
To say that Whitney loved singing is almost an understatement as the young lady who grew up singing in the church choir in New Jersey defeated the odds and was able to sing her way out of an impoverished neighborhood while crossing over in the music world and exceeding industry expectations. While some say that Whitney had natural talent, her mother Sissy, who was a singer herself, makes it clear that she taught Whitney everything she ever knew about music. Her mother’s own rise and fall paled in comparison to that of her daughter and she used tough love to get her to understand the importance of being the best at what she did. John Houston, her father, was her manager for many years until they began to feud over money and creative control.
While the focus was mainly on Whitney’s musical gift, her looks and personality catapulted her into superstardom. Unfortunately, along the way she picked up a few terrible habits in order to go against the grain of her wholesome image. Whitney’s marriage to Bobby Brown in 1992, brought along its own set of challenges as they both tried to remain relevant with their singing careers and interaction with the public. Seemingly, Bobby felt overshadowed by Whitney’s popularity and began to do spiteful things in order to keep her grounded. Determined not to have a failed marriage after her own parents’ divorce, Whitney sought refuge in other things such as drugs and erratic behavior in order to escape the realism of her personal failures. Both her brothers, Micheal and Gary, spoke distinctly of Whitney’s overwhelming drug use and the negative impact that her relationship with Bobby and Robyn brought to the table. The spiraling downward began when Whitney was forced to choose Bobby over Robyn, and when her marriage ended in divorce, severe drug use became her best defense and easily-escapable coping mechanism.
It goes without saying that Whitney Houston will forever be remembered for her angelic voice and chart-topping music career that spanned over several years. While she grew up right in front of the world with several influences, she also grew weary and defeated in front of the same audience, over the same set of circumstances. This film shows this multitalented icon simply wanted love, respect, and acceptance in return for all those she gave it to. It also shows what she had to endure and sacrifice in order to keep up the façade and when she could no longer get what she needed to survive, she started a downward spiral that led to her untimely death. While it is more than we ever wanted to know, it teaches us a great deal more about the challenges she faced in trying to keep it real, in spite of the overwhelming distractions that threatened her ability to maintain her success and function on a daily basis.
In theaters Friday, July 6th
