Cigarettes killed Amy Winehouse. At least that’s what you conclude from watching “Back to Black,” the “sanitized for your protection” biopic about the late singer/songwriter. Short on detail, the Sam Taylor-Johnson film doesn’t even give a good sense of what propelled her career.
One minute she’s singing in a bar, the next (after several smoke breaks), she’s at a record label making demands. Marisa Abela stars as Amy Winehouse in Back to Black." Dean Rogers/Focus Features Her grandmother (lovingly played by Lesley Manville) exerts plenty of influence (including that hairstyle) but isn’t given enough time to really leave a mark.
Instead, we see dad (Eddie Marsan) all over the place, driving Amy to appointments and serving as her “yes” man. Husband Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O’Connell) schools her in music (which other biographies refute); Simon Fuller gets upset because he can’t package her like another Spice Girl. People are also reading.
.. And Amy? She’s in the middle of the pack, innocently singing her songs and insisting she wants to make her own choices.
Drug use, bulimia, alcohol poisoning and other factors said to have caused her death are only hinted at here. Put Amy in a poodle skirt and this could have been the story of any number of ‘50s singers. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack “Back to Black,” however, should be more specific, more honest about the woman it remembers.
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