Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody [Includes Digital Copy]

Director: Kasi Lemmons Kasi Lemmons

Overview

As a young woman from a middle-income family in Newark, New Jersey, Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie) discovered her remarkable penchant for powerful vocals that soon catapulted her to the forefront of pop music in the early 1980s. Despite the challenges her meteoric rise to fame posed to her personal life, Houston continued to produce music that touched the lives of countless fans, earning her the title of one of the greatest female vocalists in history. Kasi Lemmons directs the musical biographical drama. Co-starring Tamara Tunie, Stanley Tucci, and Clarke Peters.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/28/2023
UPC:	0043396582699
Original Release:	2022
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Sony Pictures
Language:	English
Sales rank:	60,820

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Naomi Ackie	Whitney Houston
Stanley Tucci	Clive Davis
Ashton Sanders	Bobby Brown
Tamara Tunie	Cissy Houston
Clarke Peters	John Houston
Nafessa Williams	Robyn Crawford,Gerry Griffith
Evonne Archer	Concert Keyboardist
Bria Danielle Singleton	Bobbi Kristina
Daniel Washington	Gary Houston
Kris Sidberry	Pat Houston
Marilyn Swick	Dinner Date Couple
Naheem Garcia	New Hope Pastor
Greg Roman	Arista Exec #2
Alana Monteiro	Girl
Heidi Garza	Defiant Woman
Jennifer Ellis	Lisa Hintelmann,Lisa Hintelmann
JaQuan Malik Jones	Michael Houston
Alexa Renée	Defiant Woman
Courtney Caruso	Super Bowl Fan
Dave Heard	Rickey Minor
Rob Lévesque	Arista Executive
Bradley Nnadi	Red Carpet Photographer #1
Tomm Voss	Copenhagen Stage Manager
Mary Ann Schaub	VIP Studio Guest/Socialite
Tanner Beard	Gunther
Alexa Renee	Defiant Woman
Tom Voss	Copenhagen Stage Manager
Rob Levesque	Arista Executive
Zachariah Supka	NY Giants Football Player
Richard Conti	Arista Exec #1
Bailee Lopes	Bobbi Kristini - Ages 8-10
Luke Crory	Superfan
Lynn Leger	Anita Baker
Stevie Costa	Dinner Scene
Dustin Teuber	Actor
Christina Largent	Audience Member
Nick Silva	I'm Your Baby Dancer #1
Jon F. Merz	Pilot
Donna Ognibene	Flight Attendant
Jacobi Brown	Rickey's Pianist
Marcela Jaramillo	HS Counselor
Bhanu Gopal	Super Bowl Fan
Jaison Hunter	Jermaine Jackson
Paul Taft	Video Director
Brett Kline	Paparazzi
Zeiana Andrade	Young Woman #1
Ronald Boone	Bodyguard
Michael John Gross	Bruce Springsteen
Kevin Daigneault	Stage Manager
Adrian Mompoint	Marvin
Bobby Ray Thompson, lll	Basketball Player
James Gaiero	Desert Storm Soldier
Andrea Eversley	Barbara
Peter Brownlee	VIP Party Guest
Coffey	James
Shikena Stanton	Female Backup Singer 3
Anthony Pelton	Police Officer
Ashley Antonio	Young Fan
Justin Davis	Male Backup Singer #1
Isaiah K. Carter	Concert Drummer
Peter Olejnik	Cameraman
Sue Farina	Grieving Guest
Gerardo Saenz	Neighbor
Lovely Hoffman	Female Backup Singer #1
Cedrick Ekra	Male Backup Singer #2
Stew Replogle	Detective
Chanel Rose Connor	Detective
Richard Spink	Super Bowl Fan
Laura Hubbard	Defiant Woman
Faye Mbo	Sweetwater VIP Member
Sylvia Barjolo	Girl #2
Bre Palmer	Defiant Woman
Sean Amos	Minister
Chris McKenna	Police Officer
Ashawn Dabney-Small	Birthday Guest
Khai Tyler	Young Woman #3
Markie Marchant	Gala Women
Shirvorne Bruder	Performer
Jennifer Joan Fay	AMA Guest
Michael Entin	Super Bowl Reporter
Sarah Snyder	Marching Band Member
Arida Rivera	VIP Party Guest
Emily Zielinski	Audience Member
Tom Bletsis	Arista VIP
Lyahnnette Raquelle Morales	Dancer
Chanda Y. Dancy	Composer

Technical Credits

Anthony McCarten

Kasi Lemmons	Director
Anthony McCarten	Screenwriter,Producer
Naomi Ackie	Executive Producer
Janice Beard	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Jane Bergére	Executive Producer
Marina Cappi	Executive Producer
Dennis Casali	Executive Producer
Clive Davis	Producer
Patricia Houston	Producer
Matt Jackson	Producer
Jeff Kalligheri	Producer
Thad Luckinbill	Producer,Producer
Dennis O'Sullivan	Producer
Molly Smith	Producer,Executive Producer
Christina Papagjika	Producer
Lawrence Mestel	Producer
Matthew Salloway	Producer
Stella Meghie	Executive Producer
Pat Houston	Producer
Jane Bergere	Executive Producer
Lisa Lobel	Casting
Erika Hampson	Executive Producer
Matthew Gallagher	Executive Producer
Seth Spector	Executive Producer
Josh Crook	Executive Producer
Samir Foco	Sound/Sound Designer
Angela Peri	Casting
Kim Coleman	Casting

Editorial Reviews

Most Whitney Houston fans are thrilled to find her story in theaters after seeing plenty of male musician biopics on the big screen, from Elvis (Elvis Presley) to Bohemian Rhapsody (Freddy Mercury) to Rocketman (Elton John) and even Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Al Yankovic). I Wanna Dance with Somebody is directed by Kasi Lemmons, was written by Anthony McCarten, and stars Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), Stanley Tucci (Julie & Julia), Ashton Sanders (Judas and the Black Messiah), Tamara Tunie (Flight), Nafessa Williams (Black and Blue), and Clarke Peters (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). Fans should prepare to tear up as Lemmons showcases her emotional and heartbreaking life. The film starts with a teenage Whitney Elizabeth Houston who attends catholic school, sings in her local church, sings backup for her mother Cissy Houston, then follows her rise to fame, and her tragic downfall due to drug use. Ackie does a wonderful job portraying the titular singer. She delivers a powerful performance in front of the screen, but also on stage. Ackie pantomimes Houston's signature moves as Lemmons chose to use Whitney's actual voice through all of the performances. Nonetheless, Ackie's portrayal of Houston comes off as authentic and real. When she's upset, so is the audience. When she cries, so does the audience. Her smile shines bright as Houston's own smile did, uplifting viewers with each and every achievement the film portrays. With a 146-minute runtime, there is plenty of time to cover the achievements of most people's lives. Of course, Whitney Houston wasn't most people and, as such, I Wanna Dance with Somebody leaves many things out. Writer McCarten chose not to touch on the fact that Houston was a fashion model after being discovered at Carnegie Hall while performing with her mother. She was one of the first women of color to appear on the cover of Seventeen and was a successful teen model gracing the pages of Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Young Miss. It also doesn't address the multiple record deal offers her mother turned down while Whitney was in high school. The film downplays her acting career and also doesn't show her accepting any awards despite having won 2 Emmys, 8 Grammys, 14 World Music Awards, 16 Billboard awards, and 22 AMAs. It only shows her losing one award and that is only on screen because it occurs during the moment she met Bobby Brown. While it is refreshing to find a film focused on a musician's talents instead of exploiting the events which tabloids also exploited at the time, it does come off a little unbalanced as the film only touches on each of her personal problems without diving deep into her as a character. Her drug and alcohol use landed her in rehab a number of times, but the film only documents it once. There are few scenes involving a fight with Bobby Brown, with no mention of their physical altercations. This seems to almost soften the most volatile portions of her life. That being said, this film is a celebration of Whitney Houston's talents and introduces her to a new generation. She touched so many people with her voice and broke so many barriers for female and black artists. Moviegoers will be treated to a selection of her greatest hits; a concert, and a drama all in one.