Pat Houston urges fans not to tune in to obvious money-grab

Jan 18, 2015 08:06 GMT  ·  By

Lifetime has a history of making hilariously bad biopics, from the “Liz & Dick” film with Lindsay Lohan, to the more recent and definitely worse Brittany Murphy and Aaliyah biopics. So when Angela Bassett announced she’d be making a movie about Whitney Houston, the singer’s family wasn’t pleased.

“Whitney,” with Yaya DaCosta as the legendary singer, aired last night, and contrary to what expectations you may have had of it, it wasn’t a trainwreck. It wasn’t brilliant either, but it was definitely not horrible or damaging to Whitney’s legacy because it played it very safe.

Hours before it aired, Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law and the president of the Whitney Houston Estate, was asking fans to refuse to watch it because it had been done without the family’s consent and was nothing short of a greedy money-grab.

Angela Bassett is no friend, says Pat

Angela Bassett was one of Whitney’s best friends and she made sure to say from the start that she planned to honor her memory. She also said that the film would not go too deep into her final troubled days because it wasn’t looking to exploit her misery: it solely aimed to honor her as one of the most talented singers of all time.

Bassett also maintained from day one that the Houston family had been contacted for approval but they refused to give it because they believed the singer deserved better than a Lifetime biopic, that her music legacy was such that it could only be done justice to on the big screen.

In a statement posted on Whitney’s official website, Pat says that Bassett went behind the family’s back and didn’t even try to contact them for approval for the film, let alone to offer a screening of it before the premiere. She says neither she nor Whitney’s daughter Bobbi Kristina received a call about the movie, as neither did Whitney’s mother Cissy Houston.

“Why deny selected members of the family an advanced copy of the film? As we once again enter a season of bereavement and the strategic timing so close to the anniversary of Whitney’s death, this is a disappointment that any of us who loved her could do without,” Pat says.

An obvious money-grab, don’t watch

Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012, from a drug overdose, as she was getting ready to attend Clive Davis’ pre-Grammys party. The fact that Lifetime chose to air the biopic so close to the anniversary of her death can’t be a coincidence, Pat is saying: this is an obvious money-grab and the fact that it was done entirely without the family’s approval should convince fans to not give it a chance.

“If you watch this movie, watch it knowing that Lifetime is notorious for making bad biopics of deceased celebrities and brace yourself for the worst. You should not be surprised that someone decided to do a made for TV biopic,” she writes.

She’s right about the Lifetime biopics, but as it turns out, “Whitney” wasn’t even half as bad as many viewers expected it to be: it gently swept all painful topics under the rug and glossed over others, and focused mostly on her ill-fated relationship with Bobby Brown and her early start in showbiz.

Bassett took no risks as producer and director of this made-for-TV film. Reviewers praising her for not making a horrible biopic also say she should strive to make her next project less boring, because “Whitney” was just that.

Did you catch “Whitney” on Lifetime last night? If so, what did you make of it? Let us know in the comments below.