Today I present for your consideration a tragic and beautiful look at the life of Amy (2015, Rated R, Available on DVD).
I'd heard of Amy Winehouse. I knew she was a successful singer who died young. That was pretty much it. Thank God Sam, the caretaker of my golden tresses, introduced me to Amy's amazing, soulful voice.
Now we have a documentary that uses footage of Amy, her family, friends, and demons, so we can see for ourselves at least a bit of who she was.
Huge success. Heroin. Alcohol. Bulimia. Cutting. Clean. More huge success. Back to old habits. Dies of alcohol poisoning.
She's so beautiful she breaks my heart in two and stomps all over it.
I'm sad that life was too much for her. I'm angry that more than one celebrity belittled and joked about her on television. Jay Leno. George Lopez. Graham Norton. You people think you're funny making "jokes" about someone with a drug problem who's bulimic? Fuck you all.
A man would have your sympathy, but if it's a woman in trouble, then she's nothing but a mess.
Amy has The Janie Junebug Most Unusual And Especially Superior Seal of Approval. Amy has it, too.
This documentary is not for children. I would strongly consider watching it with teens, as long as you can use it to show them that she was a real person with real talent and real problems and that some people took advantage of her.
I watched Amy on a DVD from Netflix.
Sing for us, please, Amy.
Infinities of love,
Janie Junebug
Hi Janie - I saw this movie a few months ago ... and thought it was incredibly moving .. and taught me a few things about drugs, fathers, life under someone's thumb, fame, alcohol.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an easy film to watch - her music is extraordinary - but such a great loss to the world of musical talent.
Definitely unusual - but so well worth watching and appreciating.
Sad, so sad ... thanks so much for posting the review ..cheers Hilary
Her flame burned too bright. Others were determined to take advantage of her or put out the flame.
DeleteIf you're not a fan of Amy's music, is it still compelling? I mean, obviously it's about way more than her music, but sometimes documentaries can lean on connecting the audience with the subject via the subject's talent. Does that make sense? Like, though it wasn't a doc, the movie Ray would have been a tough sit if you didn't like Ray Charles's music.
ReplyDeleteI think it would still be compelling because it's about a young woman who experiences sudden fame, has difficulty dealing with it, and is mistreated by many people, including her father. Example: She got clean. Her dad said she should go on a "little" tour. She didn't want to go. She was taken to the airport "asleep" a.k.a. unconscious. Falls apart. Starts drinking heavily. Booed off the stage. It's quite a story, and it's all told with archival footage, home movies, TV and concert appearances.
DeleteA great talent and a tragic story. I'm a fan of hers, too.
ReplyDeleteNo one else like her.
DeleteShe had a unique voice, but good music. It's good that people will get to see a human side to her.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. She wasn't the joke some people made her out to be. She was happy and sad, but the sad took over when she was treated badly.
DeleteI know nothing about her singing and only know about her well-publicized trouble with drugs. Such a shame she couldn't get a handle on them so the world world have the joy of her singing.
ReplyDeleteShe did get a handle on them. She was clean and then forced to go on a tour. She didn't want to go and drank to escape. It was the death of her. Her father does not like this documentary.
DeleteSo many talented children are abused, used and destroyed by their parents.
ReplyDeleteShe really had a great voice. So bad that all her father could see was money.
So very sad.
Lindsay Lohan is another one. Not as talented but we here in America could watch her parents fighting over her then her mother is/was riding on her coattails. Enjoying her fame.
What a huge mess.
I like your reviews.
cheers, parsnip
Thank you. You're very kind. It upsets me tremendously that Amy Winehouse's father owns the copyrights to her music.
DeleteI know vaguely about as much about her as you did. I don't think I ever heard one song of hers...till your blog. I had no plans to watch this documentary, but now maybe I will. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite a good documentary, though rather sad. I hear her music every time Sam takes care of my hair.
DeleteI really enjoy your documentary and DVD post recommendations. I watched Mad Men based on your recommendation and I'll be watching Amy as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad! You made my day.
Delete