“Back to Black” Review Round-Up: Marisa Abela Delivers Powerful Performance in Amy Winehouse Biopic
The reviews are pouring in for Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black, which tasked rising star Marisa Abela (Industry) with taking on the late, great, Grammy-winning British soul singer who was already an icon when she died, tragically, at 27. Winehouse was a force of nature, with a powerhouse voice and serious writing chops to match her undeniable charisma, so it would have been a tall order for any young actress to step into the role. According to critics, Abela more than rose to the challenge.
Back to Black is written by Nowhere Boy and Control screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh, and Taylor-Johnson’s film was given the crucial support of The Amy Winehouse Estate, Sony Music Publishing, and Universal Music Group. This means they were able to include many of Winehouse’s biggest hits, including, of course, the title track. Winehouse’s life was cut short–she died on July 23, 2001, at the age of 27 of an accidental alcohol overdose—yet she’d already become a worldwide phenomenon, selling more than 30 million records across the globe.
Joining Abela in the cast are Jack O’Connell as Amy’s ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, Eddie Marsan and Juliet Cowan as Amy’s parents, Mitch and Janis Winehouse, and Lesley Manville as Amy’s grandmother, Cynthia.
Back to Black hits theaters on May 17. Let’s take a quick peek at some of the critic reactions:
Marisa Abela nails Amy Winehouse in every look, mood, and musical expression in #BackToBlack, a biopic at once forthright and forbidding. My review. https://t.co/7mIVnb02nh
— Owen Gleiberman (@OwenGleiberman) April 9, 2024
‘Back To Black’ Review: A Refreshingly Honest Look At The Short, Troubled Life Of Amy Winehouse https://t.co/lx85qDE20T
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) April 9, 2024
‘Back to Black’ Review: Flawed but Affecting Amy Winehouse Biopic Benefits From Marisa Abela’s Intensely Physical Performance https://t.co/cbePNhH8fB
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 9, 2024
Marisa Abela makes a worthy Amy Winehouse in #BackToBlack
Read the ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ NME review: https://t.co/Kd9e4jxbid
— NME (@NME) April 9, 2024
Marisa Abela truly inhabits Amy Winehouse in this sobering but strait-laced biopic #BackToBlack
Our full review 👇https://t.co/Jdk13mxuCf
— Total Film (@totalfilm) April 9, 2024
Back to Black review: woozy Amy Winehouse biopic buoyed by extraordinary lead performance https://t.co/fEQnDfyRRf
— Guardian culture (@guardianculture) April 9, 2024
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Featured image: Marisa Abela stars as Amy Winehouse in director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s BACK TO BLACK, a Focus Features release. Credit : Courtesy of Dean Rogers/Focus Features
