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“Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” which hits theaters Friday, is perhaps the purest definition of the big-screen jukebox musical. Watching the film, you get the sense that someone handed screenwriter Anthony McCarten (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) a studio note that simply read, “Play the hits.”
Depending on whether you’re an ardent fan of the late pop star, that can either be a good thing or a bad thing.
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” begins in Houston’s high school years in New Jersey (though the movie was filmed in the Boston area), where she is crafting her voice at a local church under the tutelage of her mother, Cissy (Tamara Tunie, “Flight”). Before long, she’s singing at a nightclub in front of Arista Records president Clive Davis (a sublime Stanley Tucci), and from there, rocketing to stardom.
Naomi Ackie (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”) may not look or sound much like Houston, but she embodies her spirit. Eager to please but quick to cop an attitude, nearly overwhelmed by anxiety but radiating energy on stage, Ackie totally immerses herself in the role. Ackie’s lip-syncing and choreography during performances are spot-on. It sounds like a backhanded compliment, but the film wisely uses Houston’s inimitable vocals.
Ackie’s stage presence is crucial because “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” spends an inordinate amount of time on stage. If you took a stopwatch to the first 100 minutes of the film, the scenes featuring musical performances almost certainly take up more than half of that time.
