We all know the rest of the story, but that won’t do a thing to diminish the ratings for Lifetime’s film, which focuses on the early and middle periods of Houston’s career. Brown naively thinks he’s about to get his own contract, but, instead, Davis wants him to use his influence to get Houston on the road to promote the soundtrack to her first film role, “The Bodyguard,” with its hit cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” At one point after the birth of his and Houston’s only child, Bobbi Kristina, he gets a call from Clive Davis asking to meet with him. We almost feel sorry for Brown at this point, rather than finding him the enabler of Houston’s downfall. When a former hookup tries to rekindle things when they meet at a nightclub, he pushes her away, saying, “That ain’t me.” Brown.”Īs Houston’s career takes off and his own stagnates, he drinks more and more. Although Brown would be widely blamed for her personal and professional descent, the Lifetime film casts him in a different light, at least until a moment when a hotel employee ignores him and focuses on “Miss Houston,” prompting Brown to snap, “You can talk to me, and it’s Mrs. She meets Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Awards, and the attraction is instantaneous.

The first third of the film is especially good as it establishes Houston as a young woman of enormous talent and the determination not only to be successful but to enjoy her life in the process. DaCosta and other cast members, including Arlen Escarpeta as Brown and Mark Rolston as music mogul Clive Davis, almost manage to overcome a cliche-ridden script by Shem Bitterman that proves, if nothing else, that he’s seen either George Cukor’s “What Price Hollywood” or various versions of its spawn, “A Star Is Born.” 17, is an exceptional film for Lifetime, though: It’s not bad, thanks largely to a stellar performance by YaYa DaCosta and modestly successful direction by actress Angela Bassett, making her directorial debut.

Whitney houston lifetime movie