This Whitney Houston documentary is an immediately arresting, insightful and heartbreaking glimpse into one of the most talented and charismatic performers in modern pop culture. Houston often had an aloof public persona and that comes through a lot here, but it also makes her all the more interesting and rather strange in some ways, all of which is compelling for pop culture junkies like myself. The movie itself is well-sequenced and has a number of electrifying talking head interviews and archival footage from Houston’s career, but its impact is dulled a little by the restrictive two hour running time (Houston’s career could sustain a docu-series). Along the way there are also some abrupt editing choices that take the viewer out of the experience a little, but in the end this is a strong, compelling exploration of the tragic superstar.
Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)
