Whitney Houston is most persuasive on screen when a song gives her something definite to say. We value the directness of her singing and her unforced presence, without mistaking either for a cure for thin writing.
Fi1m perspective
In ‘Queen of the Night’, Whitney Houston makes Rachel Marron's celebrity convincing through the force of her singing. Her acting debut, The Bodyguard (1992), is worth considering chiefly for her, though its romance and suspense both need better writing. We were moved when she sang of lasting love: she sounds as though she needs to say it. She conveys longing plainly; the spoken exchanges elsewhere in the film can make it sound like hard work.
Mick Jackson gives her an appealing partner in Kevin Costner's watchful, uncommunicative Frank Farmer, but the restraint that suits a bodyguard is less helpful to a romance. Houston supplies much of their warmth and energy, while Costner sometimes leaves the attraction for us to assume. Lawrence Kasdan's screenplay also asks that attraction to sustain a thriller whose danger never feels convincing. Alan Silvestri's score provides useful romantic emphasis when the writing has not earned the feeling. Too often, we find ourselves waiting for Houston to sing again instead of wanting the lovers to continue their conversation.
The move to Forest Whitaker's ensemble drama Waiting to Exhale (1995) put her among other women, away from the pairing of singer and protector. In The Preacher's Wife (1996), she played Julia Biggs opposite Denzel Washington, with a gospel soundtrack keeping her singing central to the appeal. The Fairy Godmother in the television musical Cinderella (1997) made direct use of her authority as a singer, while Sparkle (2012) supplied her final acting role, as Emma Anderson. She was also executive producer on both musical films, taking responsibility beyond her own performance.
Some early reviews questioned what Houston could do beyond playing a star. The reservations are understandable, but the weak writing in The Bodyguard leaves us wary of treating its stiff exchanges as proof of her limitations. Houston herself distinguished interpreting a song from acting a role, finding the former easier. Try The Bodyguard for her, but be prepared to wait through some unconvincing suspense.
Biography
Whitney Houston was an American actress. She made her screen acting debut as Rachel Marron in the film The Bodyguard (1992). She later starred as Savannah in Waiting to Exhale (1995), as Julia Biggs in The Preacher's Wife (1996), as the Fairy Godmother in the television film Cinderella (1997), and as Emma in Sparkle (2012).
Houston also served as a producer on The Princess Diaries (2001) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). She was born in Newark, New Jersey, and died in 2012.
