"Amy" is a sledgehammer 2015 documentary portrait of Grammy-winning British pop singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse that gives new, poignant and heartbreaking meaning to the phrase, "Hello, I must be going."
Even though we begin watching this film knowing that Winehouse died in 2011 at the age of 27 from alcohol poisoning, by the time we reach its conclusion we find ourselves praying that the ending will be different, that she will still be around when we leave the theater.
We've taken a revealing, involving, moving journey that we don't want to end.
Director Asif Kapadia opens the film with Winehouse, about 14 at the time and living in suburban northwest London, mugging on video with some friends, including her lifelong buds Juliette Ashby and Lauren Gilbert, apparently at the birthday party of one of those girls.
When Amy opens her mouth to sing, effortlessly, "Happy Birthday," and the rich, low tones of a Judy Garland mixed with the soulful, meaning-packed wail of a Billie Holiday come out, we get the director's point instantly: This was an entertainer for the ages.
Using more than 100 interviews artfully mixed with archival footage that ranges from childhood home movies of Winehouse to performances both personal and public, "Amy" will satisfy her fans while informing those not familiar with her work how very much they missed.
Among those interviewed are Winehouse's manager, Nick Shymansky _ who took on the singer when she was 16 and he was only 19 _ Yasiin Bey (also known as Mos Def), iconic singer Tony Bennett (shown in a tender, heartrending recording session with Winehouse), her father Mitchell Winehouse (in a slashing mini-portrait of a parent gone awry), pals Ashby and Gilbert, and music executives, her ex-husband, a boyfriend, a publicist and a one-time bodyguard.
You'll also see here the likes of Jay Leno, who welcomed her with open arms on his "Tonight Show" when she was at the top of her game, but had no qualms about shafting her later in his monologue when she was having problems with drugs. Heartless and shameful don't begin to cover it.
Leno's use _ and discarding of _ Winehouse also is a stark metaphor for how her peers and the public alike seem to use then trash celebrities at times when they most need us as fellow human beings.
Hearing Winehouse bounce through her song "Rehab," which opens with the lyric "They tried to make me rehab but I said 'No, no, no,'" is an ugly reminder of how troubled she was and how neglectful and complicit we all were in not insisting more be done for her.
"Amy" is important both in setting the record straight about Winehouse and also in warning us not to commit the same grievous mistake with yet another celebrity.
("Amy," which has a running time of 2 hours and eight minutes, is rated R _ under 17, requires accompanying parent or adult guardian _ and contains drug and alcohol use.)
Even though we begin watching this film knowing that Winehouse died in 2011 at the age of 27 from alcohol poisoning, by the time we reach its conclusion we find ourselves praying that the ending will be different, that she will still be around when we leave the theater.
We've taken a revealing, involving, moving journey that we don't want to end.
Director Asif Kapadia opens the film with Winehouse, about 14 at the time and living in suburban northwest London, mugging on video with some friends, including her lifelong buds Juliette Ashby and Lauren Gilbert, apparently at the birthday party of one of those girls.
When Amy opens her mouth to sing, effortlessly, "Happy Birthday," and the rich, low tones of a Judy Garland mixed with the soulful, meaning-packed wail of a Billie Holiday come out, we get the director's point instantly: This was an entertainer for the ages.
Using more than 100 interviews artfully mixed with archival footage that ranges from childhood home movies of Winehouse to performances both personal and public, "Amy" will satisfy her fans while informing those not familiar with her work how very much they missed.
Among those interviewed are Winehouse's manager, Nick Shymansky _ who took on the singer when she was 16 and he was only 19 _ Yasiin Bey (also known as Mos Def), iconic singer Tony Bennett (shown in a tender, heartrending recording session with Winehouse), her father Mitchell Winehouse (in a slashing mini-portrait of a parent gone awry), pals Ashby and Gilbert, and music executives, her ex-husband, a boyfriend, a publicist and a one-time bodyguard.
You'll also see here the likes of Jay Leno, who welcomed her with open arms on his "Tonight Show" when she was at the top of her game, but had no qualms about shafting her later in his monologue when she was having problems with drugs. Heartless and shameful don't begin to cover it.
Leno's use _ and discarding of _ Winehouse also is a stark metaphor for how her peers and the public alike seem to use then trash celebrities at times when they most need us as fellow human beings.
Hearing Winehouse bounce through her song "Rehab," which opens with the lyric "They tried to make me rehab but I said 'No, no, no,'" is an ugly reminder of how troubled she was and how neglectful and complicit we all were in not insisting more be done for her.
"Amy" is important both in setting the record straight about Winehouse and also in warning us not to commit the same grievous mistake with yet another celebrity.
("Amy," which has a running time of 2 hours and eight minutes, is rated R _ under 17, requires accompanying parent or adult guardian _ and contains drug and alcohol use.)