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Netflix viewers praise actor’s ‘amazing’ performance in controversial Amy Winehouse biopic branded ‘deplorable’
Home>Entertainment>Netflix
Published 18:49 16 Sep 2024 GMT+1

Netflix viewers praise actor’s ‘amazing’ performance in controversial Amy Winehouse biopic branded ‘deplorable’

The biopic film about the late singer is on Netflix now

Michael Slavin

Michael Slavin

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Netflix have recently added the Amy Winehouse biopic and even though it’s deeply controversial, fans have been praising the performance of the lead actor.

The film covers Amy Winehouse's life and meteoric rise to stardom, as well as her struggles with addiction and her tumultuous marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil.

And it has been a source of great controversy for a few fans, with some even going as far as to call it ‘deplorable’.

You can check out the trailer here:

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Back to Black, which is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, stars Marisa Abela as the iconic singer.

And Abela's performance has been one of the few bright sparks for many viewers - despite some initially thinking that another actor/singer would have been more suited to the role.

Actor Eddie Marsan, who portrayed Amy's father, Mitch Winehouse, in the film, posted on X about Back to Black arriving on the streaming platform, where it has immediately debuted at number one.

He said: “Back to Black is now streaming on Netflix.

"Watch this wonderful movie celebrate the brilliance of Amy, you’ll be up dancing, and singing and you’ll realise how lucky we were to have her in our lives.”

A few social media users then took to the post to praise Abela's outing as the late 'Rehab' singer.

Marisa Abela received praise for her role (StudioCanal)
Marisa Abela received praise for her role (StudioCanal)

One fan replied saying: “The girl playing Amy was fantastic!”

Meanwhile, another viewer tweeted: “Marisa Abela killed that Amy Winehouse role in Back to Black.”

A third wrote that they 'enjoyed' the movie, adding: "Marisa Abela was excellent as Amy.

"Such a tragic story. A waste of a life and an immense talent.”

Others though, while acknowledging Abela’s performance, were less kind to the film.

After watching on Netflix, one fan posted to call the film 'deeply shallow', further claiming that it 'somehow manages to blame a dead person for all of the things that went wrong rather than give the living people a shred of responsibility'.

Someone else said Abela was 'terrific', however, called the rest of the film 'trash'.

The film has received a great deal of criticism (StudioCanal)
The film has received a great deal of criticism (StudioCanal)

While another tweeted: “The Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black is now on Netflix I beg of you do NOT waste 2 hours watching the most deplorable & sanitised, watered down interpretation of an icons life story cos you will NEVER EVER get those 2 hours back.”

One two star review of the film from The Guardian’s Wendy Ide agreed with the summations by fans, saying: “Marisa Abela goes all out in a valiant attempt to capture the late singer’s unique charisma – and voice – in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s misjudged biopic.”

Another review from the Evening Standard gave the film one star, saying it was ‘so bad it made [them] gasp in horror’.

Back to Black is streaming on Netflix in the UK now.

Featured Image Credit: StudioCanal

Topics: Amy Winehouse, Netflix, TV and Film

Michael Slavin
Michael Slavin

Michael Slavin is LADbible's dedicated specialist Film and TV writer. Following his completion of a Masters in International Journalism at Salford University, he began working for the Warrington Guardian as a reporter. Throughout this he did freelance work about Entertainment for publications such as DiscussingFilm, where he was the Film and TV editor. Now, he is LAD's go to voice on all things Netflix, True Crime, and UK TV, as well as interviewing huge global stars such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Daisy Ridley, and Ben Stiller.

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@michaelslavin98

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