Aaliyah’s movie was awful, at least that is what the internet is saying. Is the the amount of hate justified?
A very divided country, finally has something to agree on, Aaliyah‘s movie was awful. Lifetime’s biopic Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B premiered Saturday, the film was slammed by critics, fans and those who really knew the late R&B singer.
Aaliyah movie awful…because it lacked production value
One of the biggest sources of controversy, is the low-production value of the project. It’s surprising that people were expecting a big-budgeted feature from a Lifetime movie produced by Wendy Williams.
Williams has recently become a big player in the television landscape, but she is still a beginner when it comes to production. Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B was plagued by behind-the-scenes problems since the beginning.
Zendaya Coleman, who was first cast to play Aaliyah, alluded to this before leaving the boat. Coleman was replaced by Alexandra Shipp. Shipp was praised for her performance unlike the other members of the cast, minus Kamaia Fairburn-Grant who did a pretty decent job as a young Aaliyah.
Beyond the casting of actors, who look nothing like the people they portrayed, and were not very convincing, the direction and the writing missed the mark. Additionally, a movie about the life of a pop star with none of the original music, is often a bad sign.
Aaliyah’s family was against the film, so they blocked the rights to her music.
Aaliyah movie awful…because of R. Kelly
A lot of critics did not like the way the Aaliyah R. Kelly relationship was treated in Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B. Before we get to that, let’s rewind. Kelly, who was a rising talent in the early 1990s, helped launch her career with the hit debut album Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number. The working pair grew extremely close, got married when she was 15 and he was 27, her parents found out, marriage was annulled and they were never seen together again.
The minds behind Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B opted to see the relationship as a romantic affair. Critics wanted none of that, the “Ignition” singer is a vile predator and the movie is too sympathetic to him, they say.
What if reality was a bit more nuanced? Yes, Kelly has done some questionable things in his life, but the relationship with Aaliyah was probably more complicated than the movie made it to be, and also less horrible than some people like to portray it.
Aaliyah movie awful…but it worked
Haters will not want to hear this, but Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B was a big win in terms of ratings. Critics may think it tarnished her legacy, but viewers did tune in to make it the second highest rated movie on cable for 2014. Drama sells and Williams is very happy about the results. The talk show host said on Monday:
“My ‘Aaliyah’ movie broke the internet. Whether you love it or hated it, you watched. It was the second highest rated movie on cable this year. We all have opinions.”
Music producer Timbaland, who played a big role in Aaliyah’s career after the R. Kelly breakup, was not one of those who watched the movie. He took to social media to voice his displeasure about the whole thing. He stated:
“A lot of people keep asking me, am I watching that bullshit Aaliyah movie. Evidently not. No way. Not Timbo. This is why people should never remake movies. Bulls–t happens, bulls–t happens. Now you have to deal with the consequences.”
Missy Elliott who also worked with the late singer was more discreet, she decided to focus on Aaliyah’s family, she wrote on Twitter:
“My prayers go to @Rad_6 & ma Diane to lose a sister & daughter then father they been thru so much.”
Aaliyah’s movie was probably awful, but even it was great, fans and critics would have not been happy. The talented artist has reached a cult status that she never enjoyed when she was alive. She is a saint and angel to this generation, Aaliyah is their James Dean.
