WHITNEY:  Rated R – 2 hrs.

WHITNEY:  Rated R – 2 hrs.

Director:  Kevin Macdonald 

Starring:  Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina Brown, Bobby Brown, Cissy Houston, LA Reid, Robyn Crawford, Gary Houston, Clive Davis, Mary Jones

An intimate look at the life and fame of Whitney Houston ~ spanning from her day-to-day trials and tribulations as a little girl growing up in Newark, New Jersey… to her raise to fame, to her most tragic and untimely death.

I give WHITNEY a rating of MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN:  Passionately charged, and emotionally draining, Director Kevin Macdonald manages to share all that Whitney Houston was, and the demons that she fought, both internally and externally.  Told through archival film footage, and by those who loved her most, and sadly, by those who never really had her best interests at heart as well, WHITNEY puts it all out there for us to behold. I personally have adored Whitney Houston, and her music for decades, but was unsure of how much I would enjoy this biography going in…and all I can say is that this film is one of the most powerful biographies I have ever had the opportunity to view.  Parts of this film reminded me of the biography AMY (2015), about the rise and untimely death of Amy Winehouse, as both of these women rose to fame at an early age, and were surrounded by family and friends, who never really cared about anyone but themselves.

WHITNEY is at times explicit, as it shares family secrets that I am sure some family members aren’t too pleased about, but it also manages to highlight Whitney’s style, grace, and amazing talent throughout every inch of this film as well.  My only wish is that I could have seen the portions of interviews that landed up on the cutting room floor, as you can see the numerous editing cuts all throughout this film too, which I can only guess was done in an attempt to keep this totally beautiful one minute, and totally tragic the next biography down to 2 hours.

If you loved her talent, and her music, then you have to head to a theater near you this weekend and catch WHITNEY ~ Just make sure to bring along some Kleenex, because you are going to need them, as you take in this very raw, and very real look at the life and times of Whitney Houston.

Kathy Kaiser