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9

LamontRaymondJul 7, 2018

A fantastic film. A documentary right up there with the very best in recent years, including Amy, the Amy Winehouse doc. Whitney's talent was immense, and her story is incredible. The filmmaker had incredible access to family and friendsA fantastic film. A documentary right up there with the very best in recent years, including Amy, the Amy Winehouse doc. Whitney's talent was immense, and her story is incredible. The filmmaker had incredible access to family and friends who knew the straight story. And wow, are there some revelations in this film. This is absolutely one of the best films of the year.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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9

foxgroveJul 9, 2018

Informative, emotive and at times shockingly revelatory documentary about the very talented, but ultimately tragic singer. This superior doc is so much more than a talking heads expose bringing into focus the times and the people surroundingInformative, emotive and at times shockingly revelatory documentary about the very talented, but ultimately tragic singer. This superior doc is so much more than a talking heads expose bringing into focus the times and the people surrounding the star. Director Kevin Macdonald has done well to ensure that the film is logically edited to maximise impact on Whitney's rise and fall leaving us with at least one sure thing for which she will always be remembered: That rich and beautiful voice.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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8

FelicityFenwickAug 16, 2018

If you were alive in the 1980s, this is a tremendously entertaining film. But what an immense tragedy it is. The last 30 mins felt like that last third of Boogie Nights. Tough to watch, but so glad i did.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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9

DufreshestJul 8, 2018

Film Editing: 8.792/10 Whitney reveals a lot concerning the times around Whitney Houston’s development. The film jumps to and from between areas of Whitney Houston’s life without being confusing though does not seem to come full circle withFilm Editing: 8.792/10 Whitney reveals a lot concerning the times around Whitney Houston’s development. The film jumps to and from between areas of Whitney Houston’s life without being confusing though does not seem to come full circle with all of the interviewees.

Sound Editing: 9.499/10 Alive and healthy, Whitney Houston sounds phenomenal.

Visual Effects: —/10 N/A

Story: —/10 N/A Whitney Houston’s voice will always affect listeners in unimaginable ways.

Acting: —/10 N/A

Personal: First, I have to admit: I do not care about anyone’s legal sexual preference. Let me re-iterate myself: I do not care about anyone’s legal sexual preference. If a person is suffering under the hand of an oppressor, I care. If anyone is going to be in a relationship with someone agreeing to be with them together in the ways of their choosing to be together then be and be happy. I’m not even going to be the last person to judge you. Second, everyone is capable of finding an agreeing partner concerning forward progressions of their choice relationship within reasonable range of their age and the laws under which all abide. People should stay out of the way of agreeing relationships that are not meant to satisfy them but the parties of the agreeing relationship: let people in their agreeing relationships enjoy their agreeing relationship: live your life and leave people alone.

Third, abuse is terrible for anyone to suffer especially abuse unknown to others which a person has to live with for the rest of their life. Alive and well: Whitney Houston is a phenomenal singer. The film Whitney shows the different forms of abuse which Whitney Houston experiences for herself due to her acceptance of life while suffering from abuse in her childhood. As an adult, Whitney Houston seems to be constantly attempting to find her way into adulthood. In the latter moments of the film, Whitney Houston seems to find her way home though doesn’t seem to realize that home is the very place with all of the sentiments she needs to dissect to accurately assess aspects of home she needs to leave behind.

Leaving home is not running away. As one grows, one must develop their ideas concerning ideal homes—against and away from the ideals of homes set by opining acquaintances, friends, parents, or any other factor outside of their self. At times, there is an awkward longing for individuals to want to hold on to their places of origin, and—like abuse, no one knows the affecting developments of those places on an individual which may be detrimental to an individual’s developments. Fourth, alcohol and drugs are not the answers—not even a part of them. Addictive behaviors are not incorrigible—but—the best advice is to never begin practicing the habits at all. Being around individuals which encourage these behavioral habits may be extremely detrimental to one’s developments and may mentally create blockades for any individual attempting to completely re-adjust their behavioral patterns so as to develop better behavioral patterns. There is no mask for avoiding one’s problems that actually works: anyone having to deal with any personal problems has to recognize and confront themselves on their best ways to move forward so as to improve and succeed. A most important development is in one’s ability to embrace life and move away from all which is seemingly too familiar that deters profitable-positive-uplifting self-and-professional growth. Family members and family friends are not always the best for a developing person even after one develops their own family systems away from any detrimental designs of their experiences during their upbringing. One must be well-aware of influencing factors that have been in their life so as to better navigate their future. Remember—in many instances, the decision to save oneself may only find fulfillment from the individual in need of help, and developing one’s life does not stop after one finds their self progressing well in better avenues of life away from the detrimental aspects from moments of their earlier life. Growth is a never ending process and life begs for individuals to grow in the best ways accessible to them so as to continue improving their positive-profitable-uplifting progressions so as to establish better future developments for their selves as well as for others that may follow suit. Fifth, children need protection. A child does not always have the greatest instinctual depth of understanding that may be useful in protecting them especially at a vulnerable young age in the presence of adults. The fact that negative-repulsive-vile adults seeking and practicing negative-repulsive-vile behaviors against children in light of a child’s vulnerable state exist is vastly disturbing. No child should experience negative-repulsive-vile behaviors from anyone. Overall: 9.145/10 -K.D.

If you’re into Poetry and other bits of creativity, check out my Instagram: @Dufreshest.… Expand

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7

LegendaryLassDec 14, 2018

MacDonald offers no real insight into the decline and death of Ms. Houston, but the access to friends and family for her early years provides quite a lot of fascinating stories.

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7

JLuis_001Sep 16, 2018

This documentary about Whitney Houston is pretty well crafted and although I could never consider or call myself a fan, it's definitely an excellent opportunity to learn more about her.

The style of the documentary is pretty basic,This documentary about Whitney Houston is pretty well crafted and although I could never consider or call myself a fan, it's definitely an excellent opportunity to learn more about her.

The style of the documentary is pretty basic, interspersing interviews with archive material. It may feel passive but it never ceases to be interesting, especially when it reaches the point where it has to deal with the subject that eventually lead to the decay of her career and eventually the end of her life.

Whitney is a documentary that never ends up going too deep but I repeat, it's an excellent opportunity to learn more about her. And if you're a fan, needless to say the rest.… Expand

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10

cocolino18Aug 1, 2018

Great movie which shows her life, she was like all of us,nobody is perfect and anyone has his own issues! And the user duddy5698 is just a 14-15-years old not very intelligent ignorant and racist who knows absolutely nothing about music andGreat movie which shows her life, she was like all of us,nobody is perfect and anyone has his own issues! And the user duddy5698 is just a 14-15-years old not very intelligent ignorant and racist who knows absolutely nothing about music and who don't understand the fact that he is not perfect too!And the ones who said that she screamed is tone deaf!!!… Expand

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10

cocolino18SimonAug 1, 2018

Who will respect the opinion of some troll( 15-16-years old for sure) who call himself duddy5698? Hey, duddy go and hide yourself somewhere!Every normal person( i repeat normal) will like and support Whitney because at her prime she had oneWho will respect the opinion of some troll( 15-16-years old for sure) who call himself duddy5698? Hey, duddy go and hide yourself somewhere!Every normal person( i repeat normal) will like and support Whitney because at her prime she had one of the greatest female voices of all time!… Expand

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7

Bertaut1Aug 12, 2018

More emotional than I expected

I wasn't a huge fan of Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal's Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017). The film was built on the foundation of never-before-seen backstage footage from Houston's World Tour 1999, but I felt theMore emotional than I expected

I wasn't a huge fan of Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal's Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017). The film was built on the foundation of never-before-seen backstage footage from Houston's World Tour 1999, but I felt the narrative was poorly constructed, jumping from her divorce from Bobby Brown in 2007 to her death in 2012 with very little detail on what happened in those five years. This had the effect of making the last part of the documentary feel rushed and incomplete. I went into it not knowing a huge amount about Whitney Houston, and I came out still not knowing a huge amount about her.

Written and directed by Kevin Macdonald, Whitney covers almost identical terrain as Broomfield and Dolezal, with many of the same interviewees appearing in both films, and much of the same factual information presenting itself (Houston tried drugs long before becoming a celebrity; she was criticised as "acting white" and selling out her culture by many black people, and was booed at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards; she was hounded with questions regarding her sexuality for much of her life, etc). One hugely important absence from both films, of course, is Robyn Crawford, Whitney's one time best friend, road manager, and probable lover, who was pretty much the only person in Houston's life who seemed to tell her what was what and have her best interests at heart. Apart from a beautiful obituary for Esquire (on whose editorial staff Crawford's wife works), Crawford has maintained a dignified silence since Houston died, and neither Broomfield and Dolezal nor Macdonald were able to persuade her to speak on camera. This leaves a sizeable lacuna in the narratives of both films, as it is fairly unlikely anyone will really get to the core of who Houston was until (or indeed if) Crawford decides to tell her own story.

For all their similarities, however, I found Macdonald's film superior to Can I Be Me. Whitney has two major, and interconnected, advantages over the earlier film. Can I Be Me is more concerned with facts, and probably covers more "Did you know" moments, such as the idea to open "I Will Always Love You" capella style was actually Kevin Costner's. However, having said that, Macdonald does manage to squeeze in a couple of not especially well known moments of his own; for example, Houston's haunting rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Super Bowl was completely unrehearsed, and the revelations regarding Dee Dee Warwick are shocking to say the least. However, what Macdonald does much better than Broomfield and Dolezal is that, on several occasions, he takes time out from the narrative to simply let the audience hear her sing. Probably because of this, his film is considerably more emotive. I was very moved by it on a couple of occasions; I don't remember being moved by Can I Be Me at all. One scene in particular I found very upsetting recalls that horrific scene in Asif Kapadia's Amy, where Amy Winehouse is performing in Serbia a month before she died. In Whitney, it's footage from her Nothing But Love World Tour 2010, as she tries and completely fails to sing "I Will Always Love You" in Newcastle. The crowd is respectful enough, but given that so much of the documentary is simply about her voice, seeing her like this is very sad, as with her hoarse voice, she can barely stay in tune, let alone hit the high notes, sounding more like someone doing a bad karaoke rendition than one of the greatest singers of all time.

Another very well handled part of the documentary's narrative is its coverage of what could be termed "mainstream media complicity" in her suffering. Look, Whitney Houston was a drug addict and a terrible mother, who was indirectly responsible for Bobbi Kristina Brown's death, insofar as she gave her child no stability, and introduced her to a world of substance abuse. Nobody is arguing anything different. But she was also a person, suffering deeply, in public, and very few people did, or even tried to do, anything to help her. The film presents a 2002 sketch from Saturday Night Live with Maya Rudolph as Whitney, in which she addresses the infamous Diane Sawyer "crack is whack" interview, and a scene from a 2005 episode of American Dad!, in which an emaciated Whitney "sings for crack" in the Smith living-room. These clips were probably funny at the time, but aren't especially funny now, and they serve to highlight one of the most bizarre paradoxes of our celebrity-obsessed society; we love to build people up and up and up, but, at some arbitrary point in time, we decide they've become too popular, too successful, too talented, so we do anything to pull them down, and when something goes wrong in their lives, really catastrophically wrong, our response as a society is not empathy, kindness, or understanding, but scorn, derision, and sarcasm. What a strange world we've made.… Expand

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