Back to Black

 

        Amy Winehouse was a star that shined much too briefly. This new bio drama chronicles her rise to stardom. It's a positive portrayal that, while it does show her dependency on alcohol and later drugs, doesn't really delve deeply into the dark side of her story. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson and writer Matt Greenhalgh have too much respect for their subject.

        Marisa Abela stars as Amy and she is sensational. Not only does she capture Ms. Winehouse in a physical way but she does her own singing recreating Amy's songs beautifully. The film co-stars Jack O'Connell as her great love, Blake Fielder-Civil. Mr. O'Connell is a fine actor but the script doesn't do justice ( I assume) to the bad boy influence of the real Blake on Amy's life.

        The rest of the cast includes Eddie Marsan as Mitch Winehouse, Amy's dad, who is also portrayed as too much of a good guy. Juliet Cowan plays Janis Winehouse, Amy's mum and the great Lesley Manville as Cynthia Winehouse, Amy's grandmother, a tremendous influence in Amy's life. Sam Buchanan plays Nick Shymansky, who helped Amy get her first record deal with Island Records.

          Bio films are always tricky. It's hard to tell just how much really happened and what parts are fictionalized. It's a known fact that Amy had problems with mental illness, Bulimia, alcohol and drug abuse but Mr. Greenhalgh can only imagine her state of mind when she was alone with her thoughts. 

          It's a star turn for Ms. Abela but ultimately another sad story of a great talent gone too soon.