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IMDbPro

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

  • 20222022
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 24m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
7.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
166
79
Naomi Ackie in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
Watch Exclusive Clip: 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody'
Play trailer0:58
10 Videos
50 Photos
BiographyDramaMusic
A joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, one of the greatest female R&B pop vocalists of all time, tracking her journey from obscurity to musi... Read allA joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, one of the greatest female R&B pop vocalists of all time, tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.A joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, one of the greatest female R&B pop vocalists of all time, tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
7.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
166
79
    • Kasi Lemmons
    • Anthony McCarten
  • Stars
    • Naomi Ackie
    • Stanley Tucci
    • Ashton Sanders
    • Kasi Lemmons
    • Anthony McCarten
  • Stars
    • Naomi Ackie
    • Stanley Tucci
    • Ashton Sanders
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 102User reviews
    • 103Critic reviews
    • 51Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos10

    Exclusive Clip: 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody'
    Trailer 0:58
    Watch Exclusive Clip: 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody'
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:47
    Watch Official Trailer
    Official Trailer 2
    Trailer 1:58
    Watch Official Trailer 2
    I Wanna Dance with Somebody
    Trailer 1:50
    Watch I Wanna Dance with Somebody
    Elvis, Whitney and Weird Al: Everything We Know About Upcoming Music Biopics
    Clip 2:43
    Watch Elvis, Whitney and Weird Al: Everything We Know About Upcoming Music Biopics
    I Wanna Dance With Somebody: The Star Spangled Banner (UK)
    Clip 1:37
    Watch I Wanna Dance With Somebody: The Star Spangled Banner (UK)
    I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Filming The Bodyguard (French Subtitled)
    Clip 1:12
    Watch I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Filming The Bodyguard (French Subtitled)
    I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Give It A Hook (French Subtitled)
    Clip 0:44
    Watch I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Give It A Hook (French Subtitled)
    I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Naomi Ackie Es Whitney Houston (Spanish/Spain Vignette Subtitled)
    Featurette 0:50
    Watch I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Naomi Ackie Es Whitney Houston (Spanish/Spain Vignette Subtitled)
    I Wanna Dance With Somebody: The Real Deal (UK Vignette)
    Featurette 0:51
    Watch I Wanna Dance With Somebody: The Real Deal (UK Vignette)

    Photos50

    Naomi Ackie in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Naomi Ackie in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Naomi Ackie in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Naomi Ackie in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Naomi Ackie in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Naomi Ackie in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Naomi Ackie in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Naomi Ackie at an event for Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Naomi Ackie at an event for Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Naomi Ackie at an event for Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Naomi Ackie at an event for Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
    Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Naomi Ackie
    Naomi Ackie
    • Whitney Houston
    Stanley Tucci
    Stanley Tucci
    • Clive Davis
    Ashton Sanders
    Ashton Sanders
    • Bobby Brown
    Tamara Tunie
    Tamara Tunie
    • Cissy Houston
    Nafessa Williams
    Nafessa Williams
    • Robyn Crawford
    Clarke Peters
    Clarke Peters
    • John Houston
    Daniel Washington
    Daniel Washington
    • Gary Houston
    Bailee Lopes
    Bailee Lopes
    • Bobbi Kristina (8-11 years old)
    Bria Danielle Singleton
    Bria Danielle Singleton
    • Bobbi Kristina (16-19 years old)
    JaQuan Malik Jones
    JaQuan Malik Jones
    • Michael Houston
    Kris Sidberry
    Kris Sidberry
    • Pat Houston
    Dave Heard
    Dave Heard
    • Rickey Minor
    Coffey
    Coffey
    • James
    • (as Kelvin Coffey)
    Lance A. Williams
    Lance A. Williams
    • Gerry Griffith
    Luke Crory
    Luke Crory
    • Superfan
    Jeffrey L. Brown
    • Pastor
    Andrea Eversley
    • Barbara
    Devon Coull
    Devon Coull
    • Policeman (ATL)
      • Kasi Lemmons
      • Anthony McCarten
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Double Take: Showstopping Biopic Transformations

    Double Take: Showstopping Biopic Transformations

    We've rounded up some of the best biopic transformations, including Naomi Ackie in I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
    See the full gallery
    [object Object]
    Photos

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Whitney Houston's voice is used for 95% of the singing.
    • Quotes

      Whitney Houston: Daddy, you let me down.

    • Connections
      Features Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
    • Soundtracks
      I Wanna Dance with Somebody

    User reviews102

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Naomi Ackie delivers stirring portrayal of Whitney Houston
    Let's start with the most important fact: Naomi Ackie kills it as Whitney Houston in "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." When her casting was announced, some were put off by their lack of close physical resemblance. No matter: Ackie handily disappears into the role. She is particularly expert in capturing the cadence of Whitney's speech, conveying her fiercely independent personality in all its charisma and occasional prickliness.

    This is a movie that puts Whitney's career front and center, with a special emphasis on her relationship with Arista records founder Clive Davis. Stanley Tucci makes for an impressively spot-on Davis, although perhaps his portrayal is a bit too reverent. The scene where he confronted her over her spiraling drug addiction was tough to watch. I appreciated the lack of cheap psychological gimmicks to explain away her troubles.

    Whitney's important, long-lasting lesbian relationship with creative director Robyn Crawford is finally given its fair shake here. Crawford is a deeply fascinating figure in her own right, and their scenes together pop. Apparently, Crawford has written a book on her experiences and I'm very curious to check it out.

    The musical highlight is the near superhuman medley of "I Loves You Porgy", "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "I Have Nothing" from the 1994 American Music Awards. Whitney's original voice is thankfully used for the singing parts, as if any other choice was possible for the greatest vocalist of the 20th century!

    Music biopics do seem to bring out a special kind of snobbery and faux-cleverness from critics at times. Were you really not expecting to see Whitney singing in church or signing her first record deal? These are the facts of her life! They are told beautifully and compellingly here.
    helpful•11
    4
    • tchelitchew
    • Dec 29, 2022

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 23, 2022 (United States)
      • United States
      • Official site
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    • Production companies
      • Compelling Pictures
      • Black Label Media
      • Muse of Fire
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 24 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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