Back to Black Movie Review

  

Back to Black

Synopsis: The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson

Stars: Marisa Abela, Eddie Marsan and Jack O'Connell

Runtime: 2 hours 2 mins

Genre: Music Biopic

 

Following on the heels of this year's first music biopic Bob Marley: One Love, Back to Black concentrates on the turbulent life of mega talented but very troubled singer songwriter Amy Winehouse. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (Wife of Aaron), the movie received it's premiere at ODEON Leicester Square, London. 

Let's break it down..

 

Story and Plot

Taking a similar stance to One Love (On concentrating on a particular portion of it's main stars life), Back to Black concentrates on Winehouse's career from the early 2000's as she started as a North London jazz musician and weaves it's way through her meteoritic rise to fame and turbulent personal life that culminated in her Grammy award winning album Back to Black.  

Whilst I enjoyed parts of Back to Black it belongs very much in the second tier of music biopics. Much like One Love: Bob Marley, it chooses to paper over the cracks of its troubled star's life and in doing so very much cherry picks the facts. This is more a love story fairy-tale than a movie concentrating on the stars music. 

Taylor-Johnson's movie which bizarrely skips in time through Amy's life (One minute she can't sell a record, next the paps are hounding her) whilst a valiant effort fails to capture the darkness through addiction that enveloped the troubled singer's life. Offering us a glossy version of what could have been a heart wrenching biopic. 

 

Cast

Relative newcomer Abela whilst giving a solid performance with a killer voice (see music and score) is hampered by a weak script which means the actor is never able to get under the skin of the legendary singer. This will no doubt be seen as her breakout performance and rightly so, she gives it her everything. 

Bulimia is hinted at but it is clear that Abela's Winehouse is not suffering from the debilitating condition, despite her loosing weight in the 3rd act. Winehouse though was skeletal, but this movie offers us the air brushed version of the real person. Only when she has the bee hive hair and flecked eye liner does she bear a passing resemblance to Amy. Her likeness is more an approximation than facsimile. 

A quick aside, in passing away at the age of 27, Amy entered the tragic "27 Club" musician's who died at the age of 27, which includes Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison.

Anyway, get your air brush back out for Jack O'Connell as Amy's husband Blake Fielder-Civil. Amy and Blake in real life were drug addicts. Most of the time they were washed out, painfully thin and clearly victims of their own self abuse. 

O'Connell should have looked more akin to Ewan McGregor's Renton from Trainspotting but clearly did not have a physique of an addict. Whilst he gives a good performance in itself, his portrayal as a loveable barrel boy rogue is worlds away from the real man. As the romance is the central part of this part of this movie, Blake is portrayed in a very sympathetic light. O'Connell's Blake is too good looking, suave and charming whilst I'm given to understand the real Blake was a useless lying parasitical sack of shit. 

As for Eddie Marsan's Mitch (Amy's dad), he is painted very much as the saintly dad, there for "cuddles and jazz" as the "i" newspaper today so aptly put it. Which given the fact this movie was made with the blessing of the Winehouse estate is no surprise. I say this as the real Mitch Winehouse reportedly had a breakdown after his scathing portrayal in Asif Kapadia's BAFTA award winning documentary film Amy (2015). 

 

Sound and Spectacle

Some of the more notable concerts of Amy's career are faithfully re-created and the sound design is very good.

 

On screen Action

No real action to speak of in the traditional sense, given the type of movie.

 

Music and Score

Marisa Abela was adamant that she provided the voice for Winehouse's iconic songs, so it is her voice you hear sing throughout the movie and what a voice. By far the best thing about this movie is the performances she gives. Despite this movie being a misfire, she deserves to go a long way.

My issue however with the movie is whilst it is filled with Amy's best known hits, it doesn't dedicate any time to show the viewer how Amy created her iconic songs. Sitting on a bed or in a recording studio with a fully formed song felt very much like the "here's one we made earlier" route. It would have been great to see her come up with "Back to Black" like they did in Bohemian Rhapsody for say "We will Rock You" 

Good score though by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

 

A disappointing surface level music biopic that offers a glossy take on the tragic singers life. Abela gives it her all with a powerhouse voice but it's hampered by a poor script and jarring shifts in time. In the right hands this could have left you breathless, turns out it's just passionless.

Verdict  - It's Fine