Whitney: Can I Be Me

Critics Consensus

Whitney: Can I Be Me offers a sobering inside look at the tragic downfall of a brilliant performer, even as it leaves the audience yearning for deeper insight.

87%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 76

63%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 400

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Movie Info

Filmmaker Nick Broomfield goes in search of the forces that made and then destroyed singer Whitney Houston, who has been described as having one of the greatest voices of the last 50 years.
  • Genre:
    documentary, music
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Nick Broomfield, Rudi Dolezal
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Lafayette Films, Showtime Networks Inc., Passion Pictures

Cast & Crew

Tony Anderson
Burt Bacharach
David Foster
Sharlotte Gibson
Frances Grill
Cissy Houston
Nick Broomfield
Director
Rudi Dolezal
Director
Nick Broomfield
Writer
Marc Hoeferlin
Writer
John Battsek
Executive Producer
Charles Finch
Executive Producer
Shani Hinton
Executive Producer
Patrick Holland
Executive Producer
Vinnie Malhotra
Executive Producer
Ben Silverman
Executive Producer
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Critic Reviews for Whitney: Can I Be Me

All Critics (76) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (10)

  • Whitney. "Can I Be Me provides a compelling portrait of a supreme talent isolated by fame, dysfunctional relationships and a crushing drug habit, slowly diminished by the same qualities that originally made her a superstar.

    November 25, 2019 | Full Review…

    Eric Deggans

    NPR

  • It's surprising how little Broomfield inserts himself into the narrative...[he] is respectful and Crawford is only present in old footage...

    November 13, 2018 | Full Review…

    Sarah Fonseca

    Autostraddle

  • Whitney lets us know: The demand for sanitized, postracial soothsaying from black stars as the price for success is more than detrimental. It will slowly, softly kill you.

    September 26, 2017 | Full Review…

    Soraya Nadia McDonald

    The Undefeated

  • The film is far from prurient.

    September 6, 2017 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

    Suzi Feay

    Financial Times

  • It crafts a heartbreaking narrative through found footage, including never-before-seen interviews, performances and clips that address everything from her intimate relationship with best friend Robyn Crawford to her tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown.

    August 18, 2017 | Full Review…

    Cady Lang

    TIME Magazine

  • Whitney itself operates on two levels -- delivering another cautionary tale about the price of fame, but also a tribute to a voice so big and buoyant that it continues to echo long after her death.

    August 18, 2017 | Full Review…

    Brian Lowry

    CNN.com
View All Critic Reviews (76)

Audience Reviews for Whitney: Can I Be Me

  • Oct 05, 2017
    Felt surprisingly short and as if it could have covered more. Admittedly I have never been a fan or followed Whitney's career, so I knew next to nothing about her anyhow, aside from the hits and the drug abuse, marriage to Bobby Brown etc. I am assuming most interested in this would probably go into it with a bit more background than I did. I did get the impression of a slightly sad, insecure woman, which isn't at all what I would have pictured. Focuses more on the personal than the music, which I appreciated, but still could have gone a bit deeper.
    Nicki M Super Reviewer
  • Jun 25, 2017
    Another of those passable but uninspired documentaries that feel more like a reportage, as they set out to tell us about someone's life and yet in the end we have only the strong impression that we didn't learn much about who that person was, felt or even thought.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
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