The Stream: Typical biopic lacking any special insight about Amy Winehouse.

The Big Screen: Amy Winehouse music, of course.

The Final Bill: Like many other musical biopics, this movie could have been about anyone except Winehouse’s music is still captivating.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Writers: Matt Greenhalgh
Stars: Marisa Abela, Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan, Lesley Manville
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Rating: R for drug use, language throughout, sexual content and nudity
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
Production Companies: Monumental Pictures, StudioCanal UK, Focus Features
Platform: In theaters May 17, 2024
Notable Trailers: The Bikeriders, It Ends With Us, Fly Me to the Moon

Hey, Streamers! The musical biopic we all have been clamoring for was finally released in the United States this weekend. You weren’t clamoring for a musical biopic? Really? Well, anyway, Back to Black about the rise and devastating fall of Amy Winehouse (Marisa Abela) is the movie I am referencing. This biopic follows the same formula as many other biopics where it hits the highlights of Winehouse’s musical career, veers into the tumultuous relationship between her and her husband, Blake (Jack O’Connell), and depicts Winehouse in the throes of addiction and depression. Rehab denying hijinks ensue – oh, no, no, no.

In Back to Black, Marisa Abela plays Amy Winehouse and apparently does much of her own singing, attempting to suggest Winehouse’s distinctive vocal stylings. Abela does a good job portraying the heartbreak and oversized talent within Winehouse. While she has an expressive face and gets some of the vocals right, Amy Winehouse’s voice and aura is so specific Abela can’t help but pale by comparison. Nevertheless, the actress brings the kind of fierce determination in every scene that’s needed to propel this formulaic biopic into something worth watching. Likewise, Jack O’Connell matches Abela’s fire as Winehouse’s Achilles heel in Blake. He looks like trouble, and O’Connell backs it up in each of his scenes. Abela and O’Connell have strong chemistry that makes Amy’s connection to him both understandable and tragic.

Despite the strong performances from Abela and O’Connell, this movie makes no case for why it exists. It is a paint-by-numbers musical biography that, sadly, follows the same rote process as all of the others, including the title based on a famous song by the artist, like Respect, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, One Love, Rocketman, Bohemian Rhapsody, and the list goes on and on. We learn nothing more about Amy Winehouse than what we already know. Throughout the movie, it seems like things just happen without explanation. At a certain point, I felt like the movie was just spinning its wheels and was hoping that it would just skip to *spoiler alert* Winehouse’s death.

At least, the musical performance recreations are good. Amy’s music is as timeless and catchy as ever. It might be a better use to just search for your favorite songs on YouTube.

Ultimately, Back to Black is a run-of-the-mill, formulaic musical biopic. While the actors bring the fire in their performances, especially the tumultuous relationship between Amy and Blake, the movie itself has none of the same energy. As the movie skips through the high and low lights of Amy’s life and career, we don’t learn anything new or engaging that we didn’t already know. The music we already love is the reason to watch this, but no need to run out to the movie theater. Grab a handful of popcorn when this premieres on streaming.