Whitney

Angela Bassett directs this Lifetime-aired bio-pic about Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, which begins in 1989 when Whitney (Yaya DaCosta) meets Bobby (Arlen Escarpeta) at the Soul Train Awards. After exchanging compliments, Bobby asks her out, and the pair bond over the movie Sparkle (Houston would later star in the remake). In this version of events, Whitney was using cocaine before she met Bobby, who might have found her wealth impressive, but also seemed genuinely interested in a relationship, even though Whitney wasn't ready to settle down. Realizing that she will lose him otherwise, Whitney agrees to marry Bobby, although her parents feel he's beneath her. Nonetheless, the early days hold promise as they have a daughter and Whitney scores a hit with “I Will Always Love You,” but Bobby eventually starts to feel like an also-ran by comparison, leading to drinking and cheating. The film follows Whitney up through her tour in support of The Bodyguard, a time when her career was going well, but there were dark clouds on the horizon regarding her drug use (which would only worsen in the years to come). Aside from the singing (handled by Deborah Cox), DaCosta has a challenging role as Whitney goes through a range of highs and lows, succeeding more at the former than the latter, although Escarpeta handles the darker material well, and even makes Bobby a more sympathetic character than expected. A strong optional purchase. (K. Fennessy)