← Back to results
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
2022 144 min United States of America PG-13 18+
★6.2
Music, History, Drama
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
The joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time. Tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.
Budget:
$50M
US Gross:
$23.71M
Worldwide:
$59.81M
Starring
Naomi Ackie
Actor
Stanley Tucci
Actor
Ashton Sanders
Actor
Awards
1 win & 7 nominations total
Key opinion
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is generally viewed as a faithful tribute that excels when showcasing the singer’s original vocal performances. However, critical consensus is hampered by a shallow screenplay and a television-style aesthetic that fails to capture the complexity of Houston's life.
| Score | The use of Whitney Houston’s original master recordings provides a powerful, concert-like experience for viewers. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is widely criticized for being superficial and failing to provide meaningful character development or clear motivations. | |
| Production | The film’s visual style and production quality are frequently described as feeling more akin to a procedural television movie than a cinematic production. | |
| Acting | Opinions on Naomi Ackie’s lead performance are divided; while some praise her committed embodiment of the singer’s mannerisms, others feel she lacks the necessary presence or musical authenticity to anchor the film. | |
| Direction | The direction is polarizing, with some finding the narrative pacing functional, while others view it as an incoherent, melodramatic mess that fails to find a thematic center. |