Whitney (2015 TV Movie) User Reviews

Awful

[ChrisaRafa · 4/10 · 5 September 2015]

I don't write very often reviews. But in this case I feel that I really have to write one. I found this movie awful. We all remember the story. Neither Whitney nor Bobby were so innocent.

We all then thought that Bobby pushed her to drugs but now we all know that it was the exact opposite thing.

The actors were no good. The production was poor. A month ago was released a documentary called "Whitney And Bobby Addicted To Love". If you want to know more truths about the story you should watch this one.

RIP Whitney. You've been the greatest singer. RIP Bobbi Christina. I really feel that you had no chance with the crazy lifestyle of both of your families. May you both find true peace in your souls.

Was Bobby Brown one of the producers of this biopic?

[skepticskeptical · 5/10 · 8 July 2015]

This made-for-TV film, ostensibly about Whitney Houston, appears to exist for the sole purpose of exculpating Bobby Brown of all wrongdoing in his former wife's eventual downfall. According to this version of the story, Whitney did drugs before Bobby did. In fact, she corrupted him, not vice versa. In this version of the story, Whitney's mother professes about her future son-in-law: "You can take the man out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the man." Pretty harsh.

Whitney is depicted here as a woman with a great voice but a lot of insecurity and no real artistic talent. Significantly, she is contrasted to Bobby Brown, who is portrayed as a song writer and musician who is held back by his marriage to Whitney, particularly after their child is born.

Before watching this movie, I was under the opposite impression. The reigning narrative seems to be that Bobby Brown was a bad boy (just like Whitney's mom warned in this film--but which reflected poorly not upon the son-in-law, but on the mother!). I do not believe that I was alone in believing that Bobby got Whitney tangled up in drugs, cheated on her, and perhaps even beat her, and that he was ultimately the cause of her downfall.

My best guess is that Bobby Brown was one of the producers of this biopic. Or perhaps there was someone else now dear to him and hoping to clean up his tarnished reputation.

Untruth...

[msdignity-19938 · 5/10 · 8 June 2017]

Honestly,I would had given this movie an higher rating because even though I was angry about it portraying Whitney as the drug user and not Bobby, the acting was in my opinion superb. I was even more disgusted with this movie after seeing "The "New Edition" movie, which clearly shows Bobby using cocaine way before Whitney,which I somewhat figured. Unlike the "Whitney" movie, The "New Edition" movie was told by the men themselves wasn't no second guessing, which makes their story,the true story, this is why I only gave the "Whitney" movie a 5, because Whitney was superstar and the movie did not do her justice at all, in fact it damaged her image even more.

Just read Whitney's wikipedia page!

[bobret · 1/10 · 19 August 2018]

This film was so superficial it seems they adapted it from her wikipedia article!!

Bad

[hans-52280 · 1/10 · 9 February 2019]

Worst movie I have seen in a while. Boring story, bad acting. Skip this one

Terrible

[HarleanHayworth · 2/10 · 19 January 2015]

I have a always been a fan of Lifetime's low budget biopics - they aren't meant to be great - but this movie about Whitney Houston was just awful. The actress playing Whitney gave a really bad performance - her crying scene after she had a miscarriage was laughable. The writers of this movie expect us to believe that Bobby Brown was some innocent victim who doesn't use cocaine and turns down groupies. Meanwhile Whitney is portrayed as an insecure party girl who goes crazy on drugs. They also chose to ignore the stories about Whitney's lesbian romance with her assistant Robin. Besides the bad writing and acting the real problem was there were way too many full length musical numbers. How can you make a movie about a legendary singer like Whitney Houston and then use someone another woman's voice.

Nice Tribute to Whitney but it's About Bobby.

[StepsCheerBSB · 7/10 · 19 January 2015]

As a child of the 80's, I grew up when Whitney Houston was at the top of her game, so its nice to see a film about her life. To begin, Yaya DaCosta did a great job portraying Whitney. From what I remember about Whitney, Yaya captured her mannerisms quite well.

Here are a few things I would have liked to have seen in the film: Timelines/subtitles notifying the viewer which year these events occurred and the story focusing more on Whitney and less on her marriage.

This film roughly covers the years between 1989 and 1994/1995. Again, I was young when all of these events happened in real life but putting the year at the bottom of the screen could have made everything clearer because how I thought things happened (like them getting married and her miscarriage/The Bodyguard) took place in a different order than what was shown on screen. Plus, it didn't help that Yaya had a different wig on in every other scene so it was difficult to follow the sequence.

Since this film was an hour and a half, this film could have explored more into her life growing up. I would have loved to have seen her as a child, whether it was if she went on tour with her mom (since her mom sang backup for Elvis), when/how she got discovered, her modeling days, was being in the music industry what caused her to start with the drug use or were the rumors true about her brother introducing her to drugs? Wasn't she in a group with Johnny Gill, and why that didn't work out? Did she ever go to rehab? What made her finally decide to divorce Bobby? This list can keep going but the movie is mainly focused on her relationship with Bobby to the point it should have been titled "Whitney and Bobby."

I know the family disapproved of this movie, but I didn't learn anything new about Whitney that the media didn't already cover years ago. I mean, I learned more about Bobby than Whitney. I saw Bobby talk about him growing up in the hood, plus his friend gets shot in a scene, his infidelities, him having two kids prior to their marriage with another on the way from different women, his insecurities about being Mr. Houston and him being stagnant while Whitney was on tour. Granted, there was limited insight due to the families disapproval and Whitney not being alive but there are several resources that could have added more to the story line. More research could have taken this film to the next level.

All in all, I loved the music, Deborah Cox did the singing for Whitney's performances. The intensity between the actors was great, the costume designs signified the era well. In the end, go into this film with the mindset that you'll probably learn more about Bobby than Whitney.

DRIVEL- It's hard to see past Bobby Brown's angelic glow of wholesome victim.Is Angela Basset sleeping with him now?

[mrsgrowle · 1/10 · 25 January 2015]

Is Angela Basset screwing Bobby Brown? Biography? The Enquirer has more depth.

WHo knew? All these years, poor bobby... I totally believed he would have always said no to any drug-because he's seen it before- and It only ended up down a bad road.

I was so surprised to learn how much he had to say NO to drugs and look after his coked out lady. What a guy. Whitney snorted and abused drugs their entire marriage. He just held the purse...so to speak.

I was so stimulated by the riveting acting and believable dialog that I did dishes,and started laundry, fed the lizard. I came back 53 minutes later to,again, Whitney,snorting something and poor bobby sipping only 3.2 beers...unloved,unnoticed and misunderstood. His own talent denied.

should have titled this...2 hours of Whitney snorting,Bobby drinking and loving unconditionally. All this time,i thought he was sweaty,erratic and grinding his teeth for other reasons. I stand corrected.

Interesting but

[angiebreatheyoga · 6/10 · 19 January 2015]

I have always been a Whitney fan so the movie was interesting. Unfortunately the actress that played Whitney did not look or act like her at all. She was over dramatic, unbelievable and way too skinny. IF a different actress had been cast it could have been a great movie. I think the depth and length of her addiction was exaggerated. The love between her and Bobbi felt real for the most part. His character seemed realistic however I was never a fan so could be wrong. I would recommend the movie to anyone who is a Whitney fan. 6 out of 10 thanks to an interesting love story. It could have and should have been much better!

Awful in every way

[nicholls_les · 1/10 · 3 January 2017]

Yaya DaCosta as Whitney Houston? Could they have cast an Actress who looked less like Whitney? I have seen tribute acts that looked much more like her and if only for this reason I found this movie unwatchable.

When you compare this to the excellent movie 'Ray' where Jamie Foxx looked and acted so much like Ray Charles that you forgot it wasn't Ray Charles. Yaya DaCosta looks and acts nothing like Whitney Houston.

But it was also bad in every other way.

The glossing over the real story of her life. The way they used another singer to sing (or try to sing) some of Whitney's great songs. The way they tried to make Bobby Brown look so sweet and innocent which no one can possibly believe.

Angela Bassett should hang her head in shame for directing this travesty of a movie. I just hope someone produces a better movie sometime in the future.

Bobby Brown - Redemption

[WallFlower63 · 10/10 · 19 January 2015]

Who doesn't love Whitney Houston? We have all enjoyed her music, video's, and acting performances. It could honestly be said there was a time she was both the best actress and singer of the moment.

This movie is controversial at best and completely challenges our belief that bad boy Bobby Brown corrupted an angelic Whitney Houston. Is it possible it was all smoking mirrors and Bobby Brown was actually a much better man than the press gave him credit for, was he the one corrupted and belittled?

For those of you that lived through the era, Bobby Brown was larger than life, 1st in the highly successful boy band, New Edition, and as a solo singer song writer. Hits like "My Prerogative" and "Every Little Step" were on the radio 24/7 and the Video's were captivating. What could he have become if his path hadn't crossed with the great Whitney Houston?

Hopefully this movie is part 1 in what should be a miniseries.

More about Bobby than Whitney

[princessoffire11076636 · 7/10 · 3 February 2015]

The only surprise in this movie was that we learned more about Bobby than we did Whitney. I realize the family was not behind this movie, but after watching it twice, I did not find out one thing about Whitney that the media hadn't already reported on thousands of times before while it was happening. Actually, the movie is much kinder to Whitney and Bobby than I expected it to be. Now, with their daughter in such physical trouble that I pray she overcomes, I have to admit I have found some things that Bobbi has said, along with the rest of the family, questionable. Bobbi was interviewed and stated that she was not asked to play Whitney. She seemed mad about that, but she knows she's not an actor, and why was she so upset at not being asked, yet in the same breath mad because a movie was being made and it being "too soon". The actors were believable , and although I was surprised that Bobby was more prominent than Whitney, we have to remember that the two of them were together for most of her success and also her decline. Angela Bassett did a wonderful job in trying to fit so much material into such a short network allotted time frame. Whitney the movie is not the "drag them through the mud" film that it was portrayed to be by members of the Houston clan.

Shocking shocking shocking

[sweetlikcandy-44584 · 1/10 · 10 September 2022]

It's SO BAD. Like watching a train wreck you can't look away from. The actors look nothing like their counterparts it's laughable and I can't believe Angela would do this to her friend.

Everyone is correct about the musical numbers. Should've given more glimpse into childhood or early days.

And haha at saint Bobby. Whitney comes across as sex crazed drug induced manic.

I wish this movie didn't exist and I wish that Yaya could've played Whitney in a REAL biopic, like Ray. I wish Angela Bassett was never the director, we need good directors.

Jon Caramanica says, "For two hours, this film cherry-picks moments of Houston's life - some recognizable, some not - and stitches them together into a perplexing, not altogether comforting quilt. ... It feels as if it were conceived and executed from afar. What's more, this is a biopic that's skeptical of its subject, that at times appears to be working actively against her interests," as Houston is not often the hero of scenes.

Poor

[thomas_reece-10159 · 2/10 · 20 June 2021]

Angela Bassett (Tina Turner) as Director of this film. Granted she got Yaya DaCosta to play Whitney Houston and Arlen Escarpeta as Bobby Brown the only thing wrong with the film was the lip sync to her songs it just didn't go together.

So So biography on the voice called whitey houston r.i.p.

[afijamesy2k · 5/10 · 18 January 2015]

Despite some good performances by Yaya DaCosta as whitney houston and the rest of the cast, this TV movie offers very little to the teleplay and even less about story, it's a story about whitney houston and her disastrous marriage to bobby brown all these years, plus her drug addiction and other stuff including bobby Christina, director angela bassett of what's love got to do with it and waiting to exhale fame has hit all the right notes, but misses it thanks to the overlong teleplay and so so cinematography, although this is not as bad as that truly dreadful aaliyah biography last year that was on lifetime, thanks to the better acting here, but still this is a serviceable film from a predicable Hollywood. I'm giving this one a C+

The movie was too 1- sided...

[dawnedwards-97622 · 6/10 · 23 October 2017]

I know this is a late review, as i see that this movie aired a few years ago, I actually liked the movie as far as entertainment purposes. It does seem according to this bi-opic, Whitney was already heavy into drug use. Bobbie Brown was completely innocent of any wrong doing...smh Umm yeah right! Did Bobbie have anything to do with the production of this movie? He comes out smelling like a rose and looking like a dutiful husband. Whitney had an amazing talent that very few are ever close to being born with. Bobbie Brown however he came to be, was nowhere close to her range. I never did get the attraction as far as talent was concerned. I feel like he was a huge part of her demise. Bobbie rode her coattails to popularity and stardom. I was truly saddened by her downfall and her untimely death. Truly a sad ending indeed. Not to mention the death of her young daughter following right after hers. With that all said and done, I thought that the young, beautiful newcomer Yaya Decosta did a phenomenal job portraying larger than life Whitney, especially the onstage performances. She captured her pretty well. If she keeps it up, I am sure we will see a lot more of her in the future...

LIES!

[niseynisey · 4/10 · 6 March 2020]

A bunch of lies told by Bobby Brown. YaYa did a great job at the lipsynching though!

Lifetime doc

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 13 November 2022]

Whitney Houston (Yaya DaCosta) encounters rising music star Bobby Brown (Arlen Escarpeta) for the first time at the Soul Train Awards in 1989. She invites him to her 26th birthday. The star-crossed lovers have a tumultuous relationship.

It's a Lifetime documentary of the star performers. Back in the day, Whitney was the princess brought down by the dark prince Bobby Brown. It's the bad boy thing. Later, it comes out that Whitney already had a drug problem before meeting him. This does show how Whitney fell for Bobby. Angela Bassett is functional directing. It's not the highest quality of production, but it does have some of their biggest songs. Apparently, the family was not involved in the filming. In many ways, this movie is kind to Bobby. In real life, Whitney must have seen something in him. All in all, this is a fine movie of the week documentary.

Terribel

[ElisaX · 2/10 · 5 March 2021]

I don't write reviews but I want to express my disappointment. Just awful. I highly doubt Whitney was like this, honestly.

Pleasingly Surprised

[damon-215-635717 · 10/10 · 17 January 2015]

Watching it now..... Wow Yaya is truly convincing. The actor playing Bobby was OK. All and all Great Job, Angela Bassett.

With all of the negative press and the push-back by the family, I was very concerned that the movie would be too "made up". Some of the scenes contained intimate moments between Whitney and her family, and I was afraid that without their input, Angela would have been forced to "improv". Instead I felt each moment. Hopefully the Houston Family feels the way I do.....that despite all of their fears and controversy, the movie is not distasteful. Whitney's reputation is not being tarnished and the family is not made to look bad either.

Too Fast Too Soon Too Tragic ***

[edwagreen · 7/10 · 18 January 2015]

Arlen and Yaya have perfect chemistry in this current year biography of the tragic singer Whitney Houston and her turbulent marriage to Bobbie Brown.

The film starts off with Whitney having achieved stardom and already on drugs before she even meets up with Brown, already in relationships with children.

The story becomes one of A Star Being Born with their subsequent marriage and Whitney rising to the top of her game, and a drinking Brown, unable to keep up with her and resorting to all sorts of nonsense.

The great song from The Bodyguard, "I'll Always Love You" is belted out beautifully by the Houston character.

A fast, controversial life with tragedy resulting was inevitable.

Shouldve been called "Bobby and Whitney Story" not "WHITNEY"

[countinstars · 2/10 · 19 January 2015]

This movie was based on the relationship she had with Bobby, not about her childhood and transformation into an international superstar. This movie did her not justice as it showed her struggles with her boyfriend, then husband--not her as a budding phenomenal artist on the road to super stardom with Bobby just being the lover of her life and/or one of her problems. They need to make a better movie to do her life and career justice. It was not just about coke, sex, Bobby, and Whitney...which was the main focus of this biopic. Shame to even call it a biopic. It was just a love story. I am just writing more since I said I need 10 or more lines. Unbelievable...

Substandard movie

[jonesie12345 · 5/10 · 28 January 2015]

This movie should have been titled "Whitney and Bobby" because it is primarily about their tempestuous relationship and NOT the story of Whitney's life.

The good points: Most people wondered what beautiful, elegant, classy Whitney Houston saw in "bad boy" Bobby Brown. This movie convincingly answers that question. Bobby was young, sexy, energetic, and enormously talented. He had a strong, commanding personality and he and Whitney had a passionate, erotically-charged relationship. He was her first love.

Arlen Escarpeta doesn't look like Bobby Brown, but he effectively captures his persona. Love the dance number he does at the beginning of the movie, although Bobby sang "My Prerogative" at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, not "Every Little Step I Take."

Deborah Cox does a very credible job of recreating Whitney's vocals. I think Jason Derulo does Bobby's vocals.

The actor portraying Clive Davis looks almost exactly like him.

The bad points: Yaya DaCosta is pretty, but she looks nothing like Whitney Houston. Whitney was stunningly beautiful with a radiance that lit up stage and screen. Yaya has none of that charisma. Whitney not only had a beautiful singing voice, but her speaking voice was melodious as well. Yaya sounds like a screeching Valley Girl. Her acting skills are mediocre, and I never at any time during the movie thought I was looking at Whitney.

The movie sanitized Bobby's behavior to the point that at times he seemed like Saint Bobby. Whitney snorts coke from the very beginning of their relationship, but Bobby supposedly turns it down because he's seen its "bad outcomes." He also turns down sex from a groupie because of his supposed fidelity to Whitney. He breaks up with Whitney because he wants a serious relationship, but she just wants to keep things casual. He is extremely supportive of her career without any trace of jealousy during her meteoric rise to fame. I don't think Bobby was the villain the media made him out to be, but I doubt he was as positive an influence as this movie contends.

Clive Davis managed Whitney's career for many years and turned her into a superstar. In his brief appearances in the movie he seems callous and a bit insensitive, which is an unfair depiction.

Arlen Escarpeta is too old for the part. Bobby was only 20 years old when he and Whitney met; Escarpeta is 33. Whitney was 25, so Yaya at age 32 is a bit too old for her part, too.

Bobby was cute back in the day, but Arlen is better-looking. Bobby was a gap-toothed kid barely out of his teens when he and Whitney hooked up. If he had been as handsome, muscular, and mature-looking as Arlen, he and Whitney wouldn't have seemed like such a mismatch.

The musical numbers were too long. We don't need to see Yaya lip syncing full-length songs that were themselves being sung by Deborah Cox, not Whitney.

This isn't a bad movie, but it's not a good one either. Whitney's legacy was far-reaching, and she deserves a high-quality biopic about her amazing career and complex relationships. "Whitney" falls far short of the mark.

a self destructive mess with no real substance

[dustinhoptry-62947 · 3/10 · 30 August 2015]

Just more Hollywood glamorizing of drug attics and bad life styles, but Whitney is black so its "ok"......... you know because we don't get the struggle and what not. with that said Yaya Decosta is a good actress and a beautiful women I look forward to more of her films. the moral of this. Whitney was a good singer and a terrible person in real life. so if your into watching somebody make one bad decision after another drugs, bobby brown, etc then you will like this movie if you want something with substance pass on this. Whitney is the result of what happens when too many people worship and sacrifice there lives at the alter of fame. its high time people put this type of behavior behind them and stopped glorifying it. this movie is about wasted potential and the voice of an angel being snuffed out by drugs and bad choices.

Inevitable cheapie biopic of singing legend, no more or less than the sum of it's parts

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 4/10 · 8 October 2015]

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

A TV dramatisation of the late singer Whitney Houston (Yaya DaCosta) and her tumultuous marriage to r n' b star Bobby Brown (Arlen Escarpeta.) The pair embarked on an excessive, drug fuelled party lifestyle, where accusations were tossed either way about who was responsible and this aims to shine an equal light on both sides.

A grimly unfortunate consequence of those famous passing is a chance to use their death to cash in, and exploit it by whipping up as much sensationalism as possible. Although arriving a few years after Houston's passing, this TV biopic still feels a little cheap and low grade in it's directions.

This basically has Hallmark written all over it, the type of thing certain people can lie back, and have a box of chocolates and a box of Kleenex to best enjoy. It is what it is, no more and no less, although it has to be said DaCosta's lead performance as Whitney has a certain ring of truth to it, but feels overboard and excessive even by what were her wild standards. **