Review: Amy Winehouse biopic 'Back to Black' suffers familiar, formulaic problems

There’s been but one musical biopic that’s taken a legendary artist and provided a cinematic experience that did justice to that person’s legacy.

“Rocketman,” the depiction of Elton John’s illustrious career, receives that recognition. Baz Lurhmann made a valiant effort with “Elvis” as did Bradley Cooper with “Maestro,” but those two films often lacked consistent pizzazz.

Unfortunately, “Back to Black,” a look at the life and career of British songstress Amy Winehouse, falls into the latter category. While it features a compelling, charismatic performance from Aris Abela, who makes every effort to inhabit the title role, the film itself does little to show why Winehouse, who died of alcohol poisoning, merited the biopic treatment.

She won Grammys and was a platinum-selling artist who had the world at her disposal, and director Sam Taylor-Johnson, filming from a Matt Greenhalgh script, presents her as a transcendent artist, but the film never quite gets to the reason why.

What made the quirky, soul-and-blues-influenced Winehouse tick? Why was she so self-destructive? The film is sold as a look into how one of the greatest albums, “Back to Black,” was created. Well, no. It’s Winehouse satiating whatever demons rule her psyche with booze and drugs that’s given the lion’s share of screen time here.

The audience is shown an adolescent Winehouse, a young woman undeniably close to her grandmother and enabled by her father Mitch (Eddie Marsan) and taken through her career ascent.

The talent is evident when she sings, but it’s never really explored in total. From where does it come? Even more conspicuous by its absence was the inability of those around her to deal with her substance abuse issues. Why does someone who is that talented submerge it in a chemical fog?

An ill-fated romance with a co-dependent partner Blake (Jack O’Connell) doesn’t get the depth expected nor does much else related to Winehouse’s story.

It’s clear from the outset that Abela possesses the fire and passion for the role, making the best of a situation where those filmmakers around her don’t give her the narrative tools needed to paint a complete, complex portrait of Winehouse.

Ultimately, we’re given some compelling performance moments buttressed by some hazy, boozy interludes, leaving anyone who is a Winehouse fan or appreciates a film that explores the psyche of complex personalities feeling unsatisfied.

George M. Thomas dabbles in movies and television for the Beacon Journal.

Review

Movie: “Back to Black”

Cast: Marisa Abela, Eddie Marsan, Jack O’Connell

Directed by: Sam Taylor-Johnson

Running time: 2 hours 2 minutes

Rated: R for drug use, language throughout, sexual content and nudity

Grade: C-

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Review: Amy Winehouse biopic suffers familiar, formulaic problems