Marisa Abela is on pitch as Amy Winehouse, but ‘Back to Black’ is a bumpy ride through the singer’s tragic life.
By Bob Tremblay/Boston Movie News
Hollywood loves biopics because they have a built-in audience—fans of the subject, typically an icon in music, movies, or politics. Ka-ching!
The problem with the majority of biopics is they stink. That’s my kind adjective. They either descend into hagiography or boredom. Since so much is known about the icon, you can almost forget any dramatic impact. We know how the story is going to end, typically with the icon dying, either from disease or drugs, usually drugs. If they don’t die, they struggle with drugs. The plots are basically the same. We see the icon start in humble beginnings, become famous, and then flame out. Even the more successful biopics follow this pattern. They weather critical storms thanks to a combination of factors—quality writing, directing, and acting are the usual suspects.
The latest biopic, “Back to Black,” focuses on Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented and tragically troubled British singer-songwriter who died in 2011 from alcohol poisoning. (I hope that’s not a spoiler.) Winehouse is one of the more recent members of The 27 Club—celebrities, primarily musicians, who died at 27. Other members include Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, and Jim Morrison. There are many more members, so you can expect more biopics. Pesty problems like estate issues keep a few on hold.
Anyway, “Back to Black” refers to Winehouse’s incredibly successful album and title track, not to be confused with AC/DC’s album and title track “Back in Black.” The film opens with Winehouse expressing her dreams of being a singer in an essay on the aforementioned humble beginnings before the tattoos, Cleopatra makeup, and beehive hairdo. She even hails from a musical family—her maternal uncles were professional jazz musicians, and her paternal grandmother, Cynthia, was a professional singer.
At a get-together in a humble apartment, family members sing a Hebrew song—Winehouse is Jewish—and then Amy enters the room and starts crooning “Fly Me to the Moon,” a song made famous by Frank Sinatra. Her father, Frank, was a Sinatra fan. Early on, Winehouse expresses no interest in being a rock ‘n’ roll star or in money. She would be a happy singer, wife, and mother in her ideal world. Well, can we guess that happiness eventually fades to black?
Anyway, it’s only a matter of time before Winehouse’s amazing voice and songwriting skills start attracting attention. We see her perform to enthusiastic crowds and sign a record deal. Her childhood, however, is MIA. Then she meets Blake Fielder-Civil, a former video production assistant. They start a steamy relationship even though he has a girlfriend. He also introduces Winehouse to drugs. She initially refuses but eventually gives in. Not a good career move. She keeps drinking, too, and has bouts with bulimia. Other relationships and other drug problems, such as heroin, get short-shrift. She also has to deal with the intrusive paparazzi. She’s popular tabloid material.
Armchair quarterbacks and critics can take turns playing the blame game. Blake is an easy target, but Winehouse can’t escape responsibility. Her most famous song is “Rehab” and she won’t go-go-go.
Marisa Arbela (HBO’s “Industry”) acquits herself well in the title role and sings Winehouse songs convincingly, though purists likely won’t be pleased. Winehouse’s voice is a treasure. Hey, if anyone makes a Joplin movie, could anyone sing like Janis? Jack O’Connell gets the thankless task of portraying Blake. You may ask yourself what Winehouse sees in him. What’s that they say about bad boys?
The film’s best scenes involve Winehouse, her beloved grandmother Cynthia (the always stellar Lesley Manville), and her father Frank (Eddie Marsan). The film would have resonated stronger if director Sam Taylor-Johnson had focused more on these relationships through the years rather than Winehouse’s predictable descent into hell. Taylor-Johnson’s debut film “Nowhere Boy” did just that in depicting the early life of John Lennon. Screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh fails to develop much of a story here as ugly truths get downplayed or avoided. Note that the Whitehouse estate signed a deal for the film.
Like many authorized biopics, this is a CliffsNotes version of Winehouse’s life. To really appreciate her talent, see Asif Kapadia’s devastating documentary “Amy.” It’s sad, if not depressing when a memorable artist doesn’t get a memorable portrait of his or her life. “Back to Black” should have gone back to the drawing board.
‘Back to Black’
Rating: R for drug use, profanity, sexual content and nudity
Cast: Marisa Abela, Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan and Lesley Manville
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Writer: Matt Greenhalgh
Running time: 122 minutes
Where to watch: In theaters May 17
Grade: C
Bob Tremblay is the former film critic for The MetroWest Daily News and a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics.
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