Although most celebrities die of natural causes, it remains shocking to see how many big artists and actors meet their and in part to drinking, drugs and medication. Michael Jackson, Prince, Amy Winehouse, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger all had problems with them and Whitney Houston unfortunately also belongs to that list. She drowned in the bathtub of her hotel room in 2012 and cocaine was found in her body. The documentary Can I Be Me, which has been availble through Netflix, looks at the career and private life of Houston and tries to form a picture of the problems that ultimately resulted in her death.
Although Whitney Houston achieved great success, behind the scenes she was someone who could be insecure. She sang in church at a young age, under the guidance of her mother Cissy, who at one point seemed jealous of her success. She did everything together with her brothers and when they tried drugs at a young age, Whitney also participated. Her public image was one that ensured that she was marketed to a wide audience, but that image did not match who she really was and also the Afro American community had problems with it (she was booed at the Soul Train awards in 1989). In addition, the film also suggests that she was bisexual which didn’t match the view of the church.
Those were only a few factors that made Whitney who she was. When she met Bobby Brown everything seemed to get worse. They did everything together and Bobby had a great rivalry with one of Whitney’s best friends. Drug use became increasingly problematic and even when someone who protected her mentioned it, his report was pushed aside and he was let go. By means of interviews and archival footage Whitney: Can I Be Me focuses on the negative aspects of her life. It gives viewers who are not familiar with the singer an incomplete picture, it does not show how successful she was, which could lead to a distorted image. In addition, there are times when suggestions are made that are not sufficiently substantiated. The result is a somewhat unbalanced view of the life of Whitney Houston. A documentary that fans will want to see, but which doesn’t reach the level of other similar films.
