"I like to sabotage myself, d'you know what I mean?"
I don't know too much about Amy, so I can't comment on the movie's accuracy. Putting that aside, the story is a shallow mess. It plays more like a "greatest hits" compilation than any sort of attempt to dig deeper and examine what drove this passionate and tortured person.
Marisa Abela's performance, however, is electric, and basically the only good reason to see this. Effortlessly cheeky, charismatic as hell, desperately sad, and not afraid to be unlikable at times. I was astonished to learn that all the vocals are hers as well (I was sure she was just lip-syncing to Amy's vocals). Her performance single-handedly brings a shock of life to this dud of a screenplay.
Like reading liner notes when all you wanna do is play the album.
The acting and tribute band aspect were on point, but the script felt random and, dare I say it, Aimless.
More like Back to Formula...with these generic music biopics.
This whole movie feels so wrong. The script was written before they asked for the family's blessing. So, I'm guessing that if they didn’t give their blessing, the film would have been made anyway.
It's funny how this movie ends with a depressed Amy walking up the stairs, which is supposed to symbolise her going to heaven visually, and slowly fading to a black screen with white text saying, "Amy Winehouse passed away at...". Nice job there Sam Taylor-Johnson. This approach to filmmaking should be taught in empty classes.
Marisa Abela (Who plays Amy Winehouse), Jack O'Connell, and Eddie Marsan were all good, but their talents are wasted here.
But hey, at least she's no Spice Girl.
I'm not necessarily the greatest expert on Amy Winehouse's career. But of course I am aware of her biggest hits, her drug problems, and the circumstances surrounding her untimely death. And based on everything I know, it's fair to say that the singer clearly stood out from the masses with her art.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about this biopic, as it offers little more than a superficial and simplistic account of Winehouse's rise and fall. Lead actress Marisa Abela does her job well, with her vocal performances standing out in particular. But beyond that, there is a lack of creative ideas in the production. There certainly could have been a bit more imagination.
At the end of the day, I'm just as knowledgeable about Amy Winehouse's life after the movie as I was before. But at least it has piqued my interest in the documentary "Amy." Because based on the reviews, it should tell you a lot more about her background. Furthermore, the people close to the late singer are probably examined a little more critically than here. Meanwhile, with regard to "Back to Black," I can only recommend the album; unfortunately, the movie is pretty forgettable.
was ok. But i cannot believe they didnt even show a photo of the real Amy Winehouse at the End.
Let me be the first to say it..... WHO CARES!? and.... when "they tried to make her go to rehab" she should have said "YES YESSS YES" and maybe she wouldn't be dead... idiot.... ugly... untalented.
Another unneeded documentary about a nobody from years ago
If you only watch one movie about Amy Winehouse, watch Amy (2015).
Not that Back to Black (2024) is bad. It’s just that Amy (2015) gives a more detailed thorough review on her life. It gives you more information and a better feel for Amy. Back to Black (2024) gives a different perspective, focuses on different things. Focuses a lot more on her relationship with her husband and bases the story, the life events around that.
Back to Black (2024) compliments Amy (2015) quite well. If you’re a fan, do give it a watch.
'Back to Black' is not the best.
The opening chunk of the movie, say the first 30-45 minutes, is not good, a very rocky beginning. The introduction to the characters felt unnatural, the spontaneous moments of the lead character (who they make a tiny bit unlikeable at around that point) singing... borderline cringe. I will say, though, from after that the film does improve, funnily enough once the titular track plays I enjoyed this more.
Now for the cast. Marisa Abela is, acting-wise, decent enough, I'm not sold on her likeness to Amy Winehouse but I only really know of the musician minimally in her later years so I could very likely be wrong to question it to be fair. Her accent forced as well, though that could be a similar case as to what I just mentioned with the resemblance.
I did feel like I was watching Abela acting like Winehouse, rather than Winehouse portrayed by Abela. What I mean by that is in the best biopics I feel like I'm watching the person depicted, almost documentary-esque, but here it felt more obvious that I was watching someone act as someone, if that makes sense. Same can be said for Jack O'Connell, I know zero about Blake Fielder-Civil but still felt like O'Connell was overtly imitating someone.
There are positives, though. Lesley Manville puts in a good performance, her scenes with Abela are the film at its strongest. Eddie Marsan is solid too. It also does what's needed to make you care for the main character, even if that isn't all that difficult. Winehouse's big songs, at least all the ones I know of, are featured well; I most liked 'Valerie' years back, but that eponymous track really is outstanding.
No doubt super sad how Winehouse's life played out, I knew she died fairly young but when the epilogue details that she passed at just 27 it really does hit hard... such a waste. As for this movie in itself, mind, it's not all that unfortunately.
I can't speak on how historically accurate this movie is because I didn't follow Amy's life or career at any point really. I think her voice was great and she could certainly knock out some tunes, that's about as far as my knowledge goes on her.
With that said, nothing about the footage stood out to me as astounding or particularly creative, which could be a conscious choice as to not "get in the way" of the story, although I do tend to prefer a little bit of visual flair regardless.
On the whole, this movie certainly left me with a lot to think about, and that to me points to a well-made piece of art. I do think Amy Winehouse deserves a proper biopic and so I hope this did her justice, but again I simply do not know.
I recommend giving this a watch if you're even mildly interested, but I would advise anyone with drug related trauma to carefully consider whether you should. Back to Black doesn't pull its punches, as one should expect.
Shout by Pavel P.BlockedParent2024-05-27T23:29:19Z
The movie is beautifuly done, but the screenplay is horrible. It’s a version approved by Amy’s father and you can tell from a distance. All people who worked with Amy talked about how she wanted help but he forced her to go on and earn more money. This is absolutely fake and one-sided story, but not Amy’s story. It’s just her father earning even more money off of her. Don’t bother watching.