Ackie's six-month-long vocal training allowed her to perfect Houston's style so that the actress could fully embody the role, singing along to playback of Houston's biggest hits..
I Wanna Dance With Somebody is a bit hit and miss for me.
The big hit is Naomi Ackie's performance.
I was completely transported and absorbed by her portrayal of Whitney, and thought she handled the role perfectly.
Obviously the music was always going to be great so that's another real point in this film's favour..
Despite its sunnier stretches, I Wanna Dance With Somebody ultimately sings a sad song about Whitney Houston, the phenomenally talented vocalist who left behind a string of indelible hit singles before her death in 2012 aged 48..
Directed by Kasi Lemmons from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, I Wanna Dance with Somebody pulls from Whitney Houston's real life, though there are a number of elements that are not expanded upon..
Undeterred by this minor setback, the pair continued working on finding a song that would be ideal for Houston and was inspired to come up with "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." Later on, Rubicam explained the idea behind the song: I pictured somebody single wishing that they could find that special person for themselves..
While the song has been heavily associated with Houston, the song was originally recorded by George Benson and released in 1977.
It was written as the theme for The Greatest, a 1977 biopic about the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali..
