The best documentaries are always the most honest ones. You can put Whitney in that category.
Around the midway point of Kevin MacDonald's jarring documentary, Diane Sawyer asks Whitney Houston who the devil is in her life. Without hesitation, Houston replied with, "me."
If you wanted a taste of the tone of Macdonald's terrific behind the screen look at the legendary singer's life, there you go. Zero punches are pulled and the brake pedal is completely abandoned in this documentary. By coming into the singer's life as an outsider looking at the destruction from a detached viewpoint, MacDonald gets the full and complete picture of the rise and fall of this once-in-a-lifetime musical talent.
Houston's fame is known by millions. All you had to do was hear the voice and your body would become illuminated. Whether it was singing the Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl (which she did without barely any rehearsal) or blowing movie audiences away with "I Will Always Love", Houston became a superstar that even casual music fans adored and needed more from. One could call her the Michael Jordan of the music world.
What many don't know is the full story of her demise, a trek that started in her childhood, growing like a cancerous tumor as her career took off. You may know how she died, but what exactly destroyed her is buried inside this relentless and insightful glimpse that the veteran filmmaker provides.
Brutally honest is a start in trying to describe how you will feel when Whitney Houston is mumbling to herself in an elevator, late in her life as she grasps the idea of sobriety-but in the end you will appreciate what you saw. This is the whole story, like a documentary cop holding the filmmaker up and saying, "the whole truth and nothing but the truth, pal." MacDonald complies here.
You may know her dad, John Houston, sued her for $100 million, but do you know the details of their relationship and what led Whitney not to go to her own father's funeral? No, but you will find out here.
You may know she used drugs, but do you know how it started? Her brothers will tell you in this documentary.
MacDonald wisely intercuts inteviews and footage with imagery taken from wars, past Presidents, and famously chaotic moments our nation's history. The point: showing you landmark moments that coincided with her rise, but also a symbol for the war going on inside the singer's soul.
Here's what I took away: Houston covered up the trauma in her life with music, but she let the need to please everyone in her life overwhelm her to a point where the music couldn't save her from destruction. Afflicted since birth by an incident and lifestyle, Houston couldn't stop the cycle from continuing, and it took her down.
Sometimes, the most gifted people are cursed with the most vicious diseases and urges. Look at Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, and others. They have a powerful voice, but what is the cost of that ability on their long term health? Or, would it make a difference if they had went another way down a different path?
Whitney made me sad and thoughtful. Seeing what happened to Houston's daughter as a result of her mother's upbringing and lifestyle will tear a parent to shreds, but it's still a worthy trip to take. If you want to know what success can do to someone with issues and demons, watch this movie.
She was beautiful. Once in a lifetime talented. We know that. What we failed to understand up until now is what made fueled her demise.
Bobby Brown, when asked about Houston's drug use, refused to talk about it because he thinks that isn't who she was. Sorry Bobby, but what brought Whitney down is a huge part of who she was and why she did all the things she did.
Kevin MacDonald walked into the life of Whitney Houston a complete stranger, and that's why this documentary worked so well. Sometimes it takes an outsider to unearth the harshest truths and the most vivid details about someone's life. Her life was constantly under the microscope, but MacDonald managed to shed new light on old wounds with a respect that felt earned. What few truly know is her story.
This is a much more invasive look at the legendary singer than Showtime's recent attempt, because it's relentlessly blunt and doesn't skimp with the details.
If you think you know Whitney, you don't. Watch this doc and get educated.
