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.
L-R Lex Scott Davis & Gavin Houston as Toni & Babyface (Lifetime) The pacing was steady and didn't move hastily or straggle along. The concept of taking a full life and covering it within 2 hours is a feat to me, so I'm always astonished when it's done with any success. When there's so much to go over, the risk of coming off like a bulleted list is ran. Though I felt the director and writer (Vondie Curtis Hall and Susan McMartin) honored Braxton, relayed her history relatively well and didn't "bullet," the central lesson of the book-letting go of guilt and finding the courage to assert yourself-didn't come across in an evident way or was emphasized. In her memoir, Braxton explains that self-reproach, shame, trepidation and timorousness all fed each other and infers it was a factor in her troubles, such as signing the disadvantageous recording contract that resulted in financial strain. She even blamed herself for her son's autism, thinking God was punishing her for a previous abortion. It's a powerful and important theme. That's why I strongly suggest getting the book; it's full of details and events there wasn't room for in the movie. It gets into the nuts and bolts of her near-cult religious upbringing and how it affected her psyche, the racial politics that led to her paying out-of-pocket for her first tour alongside Kenny G, the battles with her manager Barry Hankerson that ended in a lawsuit and career strife, and a demeaning dating relationship that she held onto for fear it would ruin her sister's chance at fame.
Braxton with Davis and her "sisters" (Lifetime) This brings me to the film's discrepancies. Timing inconsistencies were scattered throughout, such as rehearsing 2000's "He Wasn't Man Enough " during her first tour, listening to demos from around 2007 before discovering "Another Sad Love Song," playfully talking about Barack Obama when he likely wasn't on the radar, and the family cozily gathered at home while watching Toni win a Grammy last year on television (anyone who watches Braxton Family Values knows that wasn't the case). Inconsistencies I noticed from reading the book are:
#1 Perri "Pebbles" Reid, L.A. Reid's wife at the time, suggested Toni get a nose job, not breast implants. Braxton was set to have sinus surgery to remedy breathing problems, when Reid interjected "You need to go ahead and fix that nose while you're at it (pg. 118)." Reid wasn't mentioned when the breast augmentation was discussed.
#2 Toni's parents split prior to her marriage to Lewis. In fact, her father threatened to not attend the ceremony if he couldn't bring his new wife/former mistress (pg. 189). As Braxton was putting on her wedding gown, her mother told her "all men cheat (pg. 190)." Nice....
#3 Toni received $20 million in her case against Arista and LaFace Records, but after taxes and agent, manager and attorney's fees, she was left with $7 million.
Comprehensively, Unbreak My Heart-not the song or the book, but the movie, haha-had much more right with it than it did wrong, and it needs to be Lifetime's blueprint from which to build a new and improved standard. I enjoyed it; I just wish they had time to cover more.
#1 Perri "Pebbles" Reid, L.A. Reid's wife at the time, suggested Toni get a nose job, not breast implants. Braxton was set to have sinus surgery to remedy breathing problems, when Reid interjected "You need to go ahead and fix that nose while you're at it (pg. 118)." Reid wasn't mentioned when the breast augmentation was discussed.
#2 Toni's parents split prior to her marriage to Lewis. In fact, her father threatened to not attend the ceremony if he couldn't bring his new wife/former mistress (pg. 189). As Braxton was putting on her wedding gown, her mother told her "all men cheat (pg. 190)." Nice....
#3 Toni received $20 million in her case against Arista and LaFace Records, but after taxes and agent, manager and attorney's fees, she was left with $7 million.
Comprehensively, Unbreak My Heart-not the song or the book, but the movie, haha-had much more right with it than it did wrong, and it needs to be Lifetime's blueprint from which to build a new and improved standard. I enjoyed it; I just wish they had time to cover more.
RSS Feed