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Amy Winehouse became one of the biggest names in music in the early 2000s, standing out with both her signature look and vocal stylings. Filmmakers have been wanting to tell her story ever since she died tragically in 2011 at the age of 27, and finally such a project is about to hit the big screen with Back to Black. Critics have been able to screen the upcoming biopic ahead of its release to U.S. theaters on May 17, and they are celebrating the portrayal of the late singer, despite some issues with the script.
Back to Black is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, who also helmed the biopic Nowhere Boy about John Lennon. Marisa Abela portrays Amy Winehouse — singing as her too — and the trailer looks both uplifting and heartbreaking as we dive into the singer’s tragically short life. Let’s see what critics are saying, starting with James Mottram of GamesRadar. He rates it 3 out of 5 stars, calling the biopic confident but clunky as it pulls its punches in an attempt to celebrate Winehouse’s music. Mottram writes:
Hayley Campbell of Empire agrees on the effort from Marisa Abela, but points out that Back to Black cherry-picks the facts, telling us less than we knew coming into the movie. Campbell rates the movie 2 out of 5 stars, saying:
Owen Gleiberman of Variety addresses the backlash that Marisa Abela has faced since the release of the trailer — something that Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch also defended the actress from — saying Abela nails the role. Gleiberman continues:
Leslie Felperin of THR says Back to Black largely succeeds in painting Amy Winehouse as a flawed and fallible heroine, and the same adjectives can be used to describe the movie itself. It’s still quite affecting, Felperin says, thanks to its lead actress. The critic continues:
William Bibbiani of The Wrap says Back to Black lacks passion in its exposition and doesn’t have anything to say about the events that unfold in Amy Winehouse’s life. It’s not just mediocrity, Bibbiani writes, “It’s mediocre mediocrity.” In the critic’s words:
While many critics seem impressed by the portrayal of the late musician, they also take issue with how little the movie digs into Amy Winehouse’s struggles and the roles that the people around her played in her eventual death. That’s also reflected in the Rotten Tomatoes score, which stands at 50% from 18 critics’ reactions so far.
If you want to check out Marisa Abela’s performance in Back to Black, you can do so starting Friday, May 17, and be sure to take a look at our 2024 movie release calendar to see what else is coming soon.