From the p.r. copy: “Kevin Macdonald‘s Whitney uses rare archival footage and photos of the late Grammy-winning singer Whitney Houston for a portrait of the legendary singer’s life and career. The first documentary to be approved by the Whitney Houston Estate, pic will take a comprehensive and intimate look at the superstar’s triumphs and struggles during her 30-year career in the entertainment business.”
It seems significant that the teaser-trailer doesn’t mention singer-songwriter Bobby Brown, who was married to Houston for 14 years (’92 to ’06) and has long been regarded as a non-helpful influence in her life, particularly regarding her substance-abuse issues.
Everyone will need to compare MacDonald’s doc to Nick Broomfield‘s Whitney: Can I Be Me, a 2017 Showtime doc that was fairly candid about some things that I suspect MacDonald will skirt or pay little attention to. Whitney’s drug use, the Brown relationship, her hidden sexuality (which was reiterated by her father in a 2017 interview), and her daughter Bobbi Christina Brown, who died under regrettable circumstances at age 22.