- Network: Lifetime
- Series Premiere Date: Nov 15, 2014
Critic Reviews
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Alexandra Shipp has the star's abs, but none of the charisma. [14/21 Nov 2014, p.116]
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There’s only so much to be done with such a thinly drawn portrait.
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Despite a handful of great performances, this small-screen drama is a forgettable, overly publicized splash in the pan unworthy of the woman it earnestly but clumsily attempts to honor.
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There are random fast forwards to jump to the parts of Aaliyah's story Lifetime was able to secure the rights to tell rather than trying to portray an accurate timeline of her career. For fans of the late singer it feels egregious and for casual watchers it's disorienting and uncomfortable.
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Shipp’s performance is inoffensive, but no more than that, and what little of Aaliyah’s music makes it to the final film does so in the form of tinny covers that do Aaliyah’s musical legacy no favors.
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Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B simmers along pleasantly, but never finds its fire.
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Much of the acting has dull edges, and the screenplay is aggravatingly stilted.