--- title: "Back to Black: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/back-to-black/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/back-to-black" critics_score: 42 critics_reviews: 19 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Back to Black (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 42 from 19 reviews: 2 positive, 5 mixed, 12 negative. Most critics agree on one thing: Marisa Abela. Nearly every review, including the harshest, praises her performance, singling out the voice, the mannerisms and the physical commitment, and several say she is the only reason to watch. The reservations cluster around the script and the approach. The film is called sanitised, formulaic and cautious, more interested in the romance with Blake Fielder-Civil than in the songs or how they were made, and several critics object that it goes easy on the men in Winehouse’s life while leaving her at the centre of a story that is not really about her. Little White Lies and Collider go furthest, treating this as a distortion of the record rather than tact. The spread is wide. Deadline and NME find an honest film that gives Winehouse her own agency; the Guardian finds it forgiving and heartfelt. Sight and Sound is the rare dissenter on the performance, arguing Abela’s singing does not match Winehouse’s command. ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 9 April 2024. Marisa Abela nails Winehouse in every look, mood, and note, delivering an authentic force-of-nature performance that anchors the film. The dysfunctional love story keeps the audience at a remove, making the portrait authentic yet clinical and detached rather than powerfully cathartic. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/back-to-black-review-marisa-abela-sam-taylor-johnson-1235963795/) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 3/5. 9 April 2024. The critic says the biopic struggles to get under Amy’s skin and offers only snapshots of her malaise despite Abela’s extraordinary performance; the music sequences are a highlight but the personal story remains enigmatic. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/back-to-black-review/) ## Total Film — James Mottram Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 9 April 2024. A competent but occasionally clunky biopic that works best as a love story and benefits from Abela's terrific vocal and physical performance. It holds back on the darker aspects of Winehouse's decline compared to the documentary Amy. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/back-to-black-review/) ## Empire — Hayley Campbell Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 9 April 2024. A solid central performance from Abela is let down by a weak script that cherry-picks facts and tells us little new about Winehouse. The film fails to explore her artistic process or what she saw in Fielder-Civil. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/back-to-black/) ## The New York Times — Alissa Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2024. The film fails to center Amy Winehouse’s perspective as intended and softens or shuffles facts in ways that rewrite her history. Marisa Abela’s committed performance and a few sequences, especially the pub meet-cute, stand out as bright spots amid the shortcomings. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/16/movies/back-to-black-review.html) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 8 April 2024. The review criticizes the biopic’s pedestrian script full of spelled-out origin stories and its soft-soaped approach, noting Abela handles the impossible task solidly but the film ultimately hits too many off-keys. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/back-to-black-2024) ## The i Paper — Francesca Steele Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2024. The film is a lightweight, mawkish and cloying biopic unworthy of its subject. Abela's performance is the main point of praise for capturing Amy's voice and mannerisms. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/back-to-black-review-amy-winehouse-biopic-2999347) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2024. The critic argues that the film does not like Amy Winehouse much as an artist or person, criticizing the script and direction for diminishing her and focusing on absolving the men in her life while leaving her centerless. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-back-to-black-doesnt-like-amy-winehouse-very-much.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2024. The biopic is shallow and reductive, offering no real curiosity about Winehouse beyond blaming her toxic relationship and self-destruction. Abela’s fully committed vocal and physical performance is praised, but the film mishandles the songs and stays on the surface. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-05-15/back-to-black-review-amy-winehouse-movie) ## Evening Standard — Hamish MacBain Rating 1/5. 9 April 2024. A poor piece of filmmaking that fails to capture Winehouse's artistry or story accurately, with absurd choices around music and characterisation. The sympathetic portrayal of Blake Fielder-Civil and final scene are singled out for particular criticism. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/back-to-black-movie-review-amy-winehouse-biopic-marisa-abela-jack-oconnell-b1150130.html) ## Little White Lies — Rógan Graham Rating 1/1/1. 9 April 2024. The critic calls the film a cruel, irredeemable hash that reduces Winehouse to a friendless addict and tabloid joke driven by a bad relationship, complaining that it ignores her artistry, collaborators and exploitation while offering no new insight. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/back-to-black) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★☆☆☆. 11 April 2024. The film is twee and ghoulish, a dispiriting syrupy biopic that paints Amy as a chronic romantic but mostly misses her moxie, wit and demons. It makes a fearful combination of writer and director, presenting scenes like a cartoon strip with steady pours of soft focus. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/19a1484a-3818-46e9-81bc-3dd94bb897ae) ## Screen Daily 9 April 2024. The critic finds Taylor-Johnson’s account pallid and pedestrian, ironing out thorny issues with little new to say, though it provides an impressive platform for star Marisa Abela and is never more than Amy Lite. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/back-to-black-review/5192250.article) ## Sight and Sound 10 April 2024. The critic finds the biopic falls short of its aspirations to focus on the music despite a strong lead performance and visual care, with the script hampered by caution and Abela’s singing not fully matching Winehouse’s command. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/back-black-amy-winehouse-biopic-fails-its-aspirations-focus-music) ## The Guardian 9 April 2024. The film is a gentle, forgiving and heartfelt dramatisation more interested in romance and creativity than demons or blame. It is buoyed by an extraordinary, sweet-natured lead performance from Marisa Abela that conveys Amy's tenderness and youth. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/apr/09/back-to-black-review-gentle-amy-winehouse-biopic-buoyed-by-extraordinary-lead-performance) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin 9 April 2024. The critic finds the biopic flawed but affecting overall, with Marisa Abela’s intensely physical performance as the key element that lifts the film and makes it frequently very affecting. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/back-to-black-review-amy-winehouse-biopic-marisa-abela-1235869498/) ## The Telegraph 9 April 2024. The biopic is compassionate but evasive and overly cautious, ducking away from saying anything truly enlightening about Amy's life or addictions. Marisa Abela does a sterling job as the troubled star in this narrow-focus drama on her relationship. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/back-to-black-amy-winehouse-review-marisa-abela/) ## The Times Rating ★★☆☆☆. 13 April 2024. The film is too tame, too tasteful and too frightened of alienating fans, distilling the vivid hot mess of Amy's life into a middling, lukewarm mess. It aims to turn her toxic relationship into Camden's answer to Sid and Nancy but ends on a high note. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-best-films-reviewed-this-week-back-to-black-and-civil-war-lxvzdb5sh) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 April 2024. The critic praises the film as a refreshingly honest biopic that gives agency to Winehouse and portrays her decisions as her own, with a hard edge. It singles out Marisa Abela's performance and the complex portrait of the artist for praise. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/04/back-to-black-review-sam-taylor-johnson-marisa-abela-amy-winehouse-1235878213/) ## NME — Nick Levine Rating 4/5. 9 April 2024. The critic praises Marisa Abela's performance capturing Winehouse’s mix of self-belief and frailty and her singing; singles out the evocative scenes and the deft handling of the media spotlight and ending as positive, while noting it's a worthy biopic that reminds of her spirit. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/back-to-black-amy-winehouse-marisa-abela-3615314) ## The Ringer — Justin Charity Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 2024. The biopic is mediocre and unremarkable, formulaic like most biopics, easy on controversial figures in Winehouse's life. Abela and O'Connell have chemistry, but it doesn't capture the raw essence needed. [Read the review](https://theringer.com/2024/05/21/movies/amy-winehouse-back-to-black-movie-review-meaning-biopic) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Rating 2/5. 17 May 2024. The critic finds the film sanitised and surface-level, failing to capture nuance in relationships, though praises Abela's singing and performance; complains about tonal mismatch and focus on romance over depth. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a60425719/back-to-black-review-amy-winehouse/) ## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric Rating 2/5. 10 April 2024. The review criticizes the biopic for being contrived and disjointed, absolving the family while blaming tabloids, but praises Abela's performance and supporting cast like Manville. It notes the story needs more distance. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/back-to-black-review/) ## Film Stories — James Harvey Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 April 2024. The critic finds the biopic sanitised and formulaic, failing to capture the tragedy or depth of Winehouse's life despite a strong performance by Marisa Abela. They single out Abela's performance for praise but wish the film hadn't been made. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/back-to-black-review-the-amy-winehouse-biopic-is-a-misjudged-tragedy/) ## Collider — Emma Kiely Rating 2/10. 17 May 2024. The critic calls it a hollow, ugly, and inaccurate biopic that distorts the truth by favoring the men in Amy Winehouse's life. Praises Marisa Abela's committed performance but criticizes the focus on personal relationships over her talent and the poor direction. [Read the review](https://collider.com/back-to-black-review-amy-winehouse/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 9 April 2024. The critic finds the biopic bland and formulaic, criticizing its lack of passion, insight, or cinematic boldness, and singles out the generic storytelling and failure to say anything meaningful about Winehouse's life for complaint. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/back-to-black-review-amy-winehouse/) ## Paste — Jade Gomez Rating 4.0. 16 May 2024. The film sensationalizes and shallowly portrays Amy Winehouse's life, focusing too much on her downfall and relationships. Praises Marisa Abela's performance as a bright spot amid the flaws in pacing and handling of addiction. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/amy-winehouse/back-to-black-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/back-to-black.md