Back to Black (2024) review

Pouty singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse (Marisa Abela) comes from humble beginnings - her father Mitch (Eddie Marsan) is a cab driver while her mother Janis (Juliet Cowan) is a pharmacist - and, with her sultry voice, manages to land a record deal with Island (her first LP, Frank, is a hit in England), but her demons catch up with her: she chases after addict Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O'Connell) who enables her worst tendencies, drinks (and smokes) too much, creates a second successful album (Back to Black), agrees to try rehab ... but ultimately joins the 27 Club in 2011 (due to alcohol poisoning and possibly bulimia).  For the most part, it follows the traditional biopic route, "showing" how her real experiences influenced her music - her grandmother Cynthia (Lesley Manville), who passes away from lung cancer, is a key figure in her life - with the last hour acting as a long march to death ... except it does give the young lady a break at the conclusion by having her "ascend the staircase" instead of found unresponsive in a bed.  Abela is magnetic in the lead role - she really did her research and worked on her vocals - although it seems strange that director Taylor-Johnson, who's an accomplished artist, didn't try to spruce it up more with creative visual imagery (aside from a few fleeting moments).  But I think we can all agree the paparazzi and those late night talk show hosts didn't do Amy a favor by making a spectacle of what's clearly untreated mental illness....