But though DaCosta and Escarpeta each creates a sympathetic character - at times, the picture feels meant to make you forget you ever saw Being Bobby Brown - they lack chemistry. … It’s a better-than-average Lifetime film - and at its boudoir heart, it is very much a Lifetime film.” As the title character, “DaCosta is remarkably convincing lip-syncing to Cox’s re-recordings of Houston’s hits. Los Angeles Times’ Robert Lloyd notes, “Though it works in parts and pieces - were you to be shown any random scene out of context, you might imagine a better picture - it doesn’t add up to much. And Houston’s vocals are delivered gloriously by Cox.” The hourlong interview, Bobby Brown: Remembering Whitney, with Brown and journalist Shaun Robinson that will air after Whitney “is far more riveting than the film that occasions its existence.” Still, “DaCosta fluently mimics Houston’s gestural tics, the quick neck-snaps and chin-juts that she brought to her performances. … 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. The New York Times’ 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. Read More ‘Whitney’ Actress Says Houston’s Death “Too Recent to Explore on Screen” Still, there are moments when Cox’s singing and DaCosta’s mannerisms add up to an eerily accurate portrayal of Houston, and in certain scenes, viewers may feel as swept up as the enraptured fans onscreen.” Of its ending, “its finale feels abrupt, but the decision to focus just on Houston’s most meteorically successful years - where, for a little while, she probably was happy - makes Whitney a fairly flattering portrait that is only lightly a cautionary tale.” Keene also notes that while Cox’s covers “are sometimes gorgeously close to the mark, they don’t (and can’t) quite fully capture Houston’s naturally showstopping cadence. Bassett also makes the right choice to allow songs to play out fully, … but quick editing jumps and the occasional tour wardrobe montage also mange to keep the pace from languishing.” And Bassett, using sound instincts, also films them in several extremely intimate, lavishly sensual scenes.” Additionally, Bassett’s direction “also keeps the camera moving, swirling and active, except when it alights and lingers on DaCosta’s face. “The movie does not shy away from emotional portrayals of the couple’s drug abuse, codependency and personal tragedy, nor does it let either one off the hook when it comes to mistakes and bad decisions. The Hollywood Reporter’s Allison Keene praises DeCosta’s portrayal - “The makeup and wardrobe department did an exceptional job recreating Houston’s looks on DaCosta, who nails her mannerisms, particularly when it comes to a performance of “I Will Always Love You” - and her chemistry with Escapeta.
See what top critics are saying about Whitney: Read More Whitney Houston’s Mom Blasts Lifetime Biopic: ‘Let Her Rest’
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