‘Whitney’ Trailer: Five Reasons It Will Be Better Than Aaliyah Biopic

The first full-length trailer for the highly-anticipated Lifetime biopic, Whitney, was released earlier this week.

The film primarily focuses on the life and love of singer/actress Whitney Houston. A major highlight of this particular movie’s story line will be the turbulent love between Whitney Houston and her husband Bobby Brown.

As you can see from the trailer, there are quite a few exciting moments that might have even the most skeptical of critics and fans interested in seeing the movie when it premieres on Lifetime next month.

However, the bad taste that the Aaliyah biopic left in the mouth of many devoted fans and critics last month might still be there — completely ruining any hopes that they might have for Whitney.

Even if you are one of those people full of doubts and uncertainties, here are several reasons why the trailer proves that Whitney will be a lot better than the Aaliyah biopic.

1. Better casting. One of the biggest complaints about the Aaliyah movie was the horrible casting choices. Many (if not all) of the leading roles (including Aaliyah herself) did not come close to looking like the people that they were portraying. A viral trend of images and memes of spoof casting choices flooded the internet shortly after the Aaliyah movie was released because of it.

However, as you can see in the Whitney trailer, it seems as if the casting is much better. Yaya DaCosta and Arlen Escarpeta might not be perfect matches for Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown when it comes to physical appearance. However, it seems they are close enough.

2. Better acting. Even though Yaya DaCosta may have first rose to fame during her time as a contestant on America’s Next Top Model, she has proven in recent years that she also has some serious acting chops. From her supporting role in the Justin Timberlake film, In Time, to her impressive role in the Lee Daniels film, The Butler, DaCosta has proven that she can carry her own weight alongside A-list stars.

3. Stars lip-sync the hits instead of trying to sing them. Instead of relying on their own voices, it is apparently clear that director Angela Bassett used lip-syncing when she filmed this movie. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about hearing Yaya DaCosta struggle to hit the high notes that Whitney Houston mastered in her prime because she is not showcasing her own voice. Reports confirm that singer Deborah Cox actually performed all of the songs, so DaCosta just had to focus on lip-syncing Cox’s vocals.

4. Better direction — even though its a directorial debut. Yes, it is true that this biopic marks the first time that Oscar-nominated actress Angela Bassett sat in the director’s chair while a movie was being filmed. However, her decades of experience clearly played an instrumental role in the production and overall development of this film. Keep in mind that Angela Bassett was also friends with Whitney Houston and got to know her pretty well while filming the hit ’90s film Waiting to Exhale together.

5. Whitney lived longer and had a more successful career. Aaliyah’s career was basically just about to enter warp speed when she died — not just in her music career, but also her acting career as well. Whitney Houston, on the other hand, was able to accumulate accomplishments and accolades for decades before her death. Therefore, the writers had a lot more material to work with when working on the script for Whitney.

What do you think? Are you excited about Whitney? Or, are you staying as far away from the movie as possible?

[Image Credit: Indie Wire]