Lifetime's "Unbreak My Heart" aired Jan. 23rd This was my reaction when I heard that R&B legend Toni "THEE" Braxton (as her youngest sibling Tamar would say) was getting a TV biopic: *Gasps* Really?!! Yes! Who's doing it? *Exasperated* Lifetime?! *Face-palms* They need to quit; haven't they made enough disastrous, poorly executed and ridiculously inaccurate biopics? Oh, it's based on Toni's book (Unbreak My Heart)? Then there may be hope, and I'll catch any errors because I've read it. *Grins*
I indeed caught errors and changes, but let me first address the film's overall quality. To my relief, nothing struck me as particularly awful. From the jump, this venture had a leg up from its Lifetime predecessors because material was being pulled from an authorized source and Braxton's actual vocals were used. There was a perceptible disconnect with 2015's Whitney, because not only did model-actress Yaya DaCosta not look or behave like Whitney Houston, she didn't sound like her either (singer Deborah Cox rerecorded the tracks needed for the movie). The principal (and most obvious) requisite for any biographical film is that the presence of its subject must be felt. Voice-over narration and an appearance by Braxton once the story was brought to present-day, which included an outro of her playing the piano and performing the title song, was a very nice touch and provided additional credibility (fun fact: Braxton contributed her own performance and award gowns to wardrobe).
So, the music was there and a reasonable amount of reliability was established, but what about the portrayals? The casting aesthetics weren't ideal; without dialogue or a certain wig, it was hard to tell who was who, especially with the Braxton sisters. Tyler Perry team-members Gavin Houston (The Haves and The Have Nots) as Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Andre Hall (Love Thy Neighbor) as Keri Lewis were the closest resemblances. Starring lead Lex Scott Davis wasn't exactly a dead ringer for Toni Braxton, but she's so stunning, I didn't care. More importantly, she nailed her part and it felt like she did her homework. Mannerisms and body language were emulated naturally, and her lip-sync game was on point. The incomparable and grossly underrated Debbi Morgan (her credits include All My Children and Eve's Bayou) showed exactly why those adjectives apply to her with award-flair delivery as Evelyn, Toni's strict and commanding mother. Collectively, everyone gave acceptable performances, making likeness less of an issue.
I indeed caught errors and changes, but let me first address the film's overall quality. To my relief, nothing struck me as particularly awful. From the jump, this venture had a leg up from its Lifetime predecessors because material was being pulled from an authorized source and Braxton's actual vocals were used. There was a perceptible disconnect with 2015's Whitney, because not only did model-actress Yaya DaCosta not look or behave like Whitney Houston, she didn't sound like her either (singer Deborah Cox rerecorded the tracks needed for the movie). The principal (and most obvious) requisite for any biographical film is that the presence of its subject must be felt. Voice-over narration and an appearance by Braxton once the story was brought to present-day, which included an outro of her playing the piano and performing the title song, was a very nice touch and provided additional credibility (fun fact: Braxton contributed her own performance and award gowns to wardrobe).
So, the music was there and a reasonable amount of reliability was established, but what about the portrayals? The casting aesthetics weren't ideal; without dialogue or a certain wig, it was hard to tell who was who, especially with the Braxton sisters. Tyler Perry team-members Gavin Houston (The Haves and The Have Nots) as Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Andre Hall (Love Thy Neighbor) as Keri Lewis were the closest resemblances. Starring lead Lex Scott Davis wasn't exactly a dead ringer for Toni Braxton, but she's so stunning, I didn't care. More importantly, she nailed her part and it felt like she did her homework. Mannerisms and body language were emulated naturally, and her lip-sync game was on point. The incomparable and grossly underrated Debbi Morgan (her credits include All My Children and Eve's Bayou) showed exactly why those adjectives apply to her with award-flair delivery as Evelyn, Toni's strict and commanding mother. Collectively, everyone gave acceptable performances, making likeness less of an issue.
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