Back to Black

This papering over of Winehouse and her story isn't just bland and boring — it's offensive.

Much like the rabid tabloid coverage Winehouse faced, Back to Black is a lazy attempt to capitalize on both the success and struggles of a great artist.

An incomplete version of a well-known story.

Back to Black adds up to nothing more than Daily Mail headlines.

Perhaps there was a strong movie buried here somewhere, if the filmmakers had not made so many traditional choices to dull a messy figure for Hollywood.

Working from Matt Greenhalgh’s script, Taylor-Johnson vaults through significant moments in her life without giving them any real significance.

The whole thing feels lightweight.

Back to Black spends almost all its runtime focused on Winehouse and Fielder-Civil’s destructive romance, as if it were the only thing to have existed in the late singer’s life.

Back to Black tells a familiar story. ... But it still works, thanks ... to the dynamic central character, her knockout music, and the passionate performance of Marisa Abella, who plays – and sings as – Winehouse. 


Their film is, like the media’s perception of Amy herself, often messy and even incoherent, but it does make the bare minimum in humanising this member of the 27 Club more than it easily could have.