I Wanna Dance With Somebody: First look at the Whitney Houston biopic
Branded by the LGBTQ community as a queer icon for most of her career, this film about the life of Whitney Houston is a must-see for the gays. I Wanna Dance With Somebody is slated for cinematic release on December 21 and is a powerful and triumphant celebration of the pop star’s life.
Directed by Kasi Lemmons and written by Academy Award nominee Anthony McCarten, I Wanna Dance With Somebody documents the complex woman behind the voice of a generation. Clive Davis has signed on to produce the film, and BAFTA award winner Naomi Ackie is locked in to play Whitney Houston herself.
The movie showcases a full timeline of Whitney Houston’s life and kicks off at the very beginning of her singing career when she was just a regular girl from New Jersey. Her rise to stardom was fast and dramatic, and the movie encapsulates this journey well.
The fifty million dollar question is … will the film touch on the same-sex relationship that Whitney allegedly had with long-time bestie, Robyn Crawford? A close examination of the trailer suggests that perhaps it does.
If Robyn Crawford is to be believed, the two women definitely moved their relationship well past the boundaries of simple friendship into something much deeper and more significant, even if it was just for a short period of time.
In 2019, Crawford released a memoir titled Song For You: My Life with Whitney Houston where she documents that her relationship with Whitney moved past that of friendship into one of romantic love.
The pair met when Whitney was just 16-years-old and were immediately taken with each other. According to Crawford, even before Houston’s singing career took off, the pair were allegedly involved in a relationship, which Houston ended when she signed her record deal in 1982.
“She said we shouldn’t be physical anymore, because it would make our journey even more difficult … she said if people find out about us, they would use this against us, and back in the ’80s that’s how it felt,” Crawford writes in her memoir.
Family members and those close to Houston criticized Crawford upon the release of her book and were angered by her words. They labeled her as a “nobody opportunist” trying to capitalize on the memory of Whitney.
So how far will the relationship between Robyn Crawford and Whitney Houston be explored in I Wanna Dance With Somebody? Inquiring queer minds want to know and you certainly have our attention.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody is set for release worldwide on December 21, 2022. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!
