Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Beauty is the story of a young woman trying to hold onto her girlfriend and her lesbian identity while breaking into the music business.
Beauty (Gracie Marie Bradley) is young woman living with her parents, both of whom have ties to the music industry. While her father (Giancarlo Esposito) negotiates a recording contract, her mother (Niecy Nash), a backup vocalist, warns Beauty of the pitfalls of the music industry.
And once the recording contract is signed, the record label begins to groom Beauty for success. She’s told to keep her girlfriend, Jasmine (Aleyse Shannon), a secret, to hide her sexuality, and how to respond to the media. And soon Beauty must decide which is more important, her love for Jasmine or fame.
Some Thoughts:
Beauty feels as if it’s based on Whitney Houston’s life. The events, situations, and years all coincide with her rise to stardom.
The story is told in a series of vignettes that look good but lack substance and focus. Events happen, but we never see the cause and effect. At one point Jasmine is assaulted, yet we never see Beauty getting the news. All we get is a scene where Beauty visits Jasmine in the hospital. Beauty doesn’t appear upset or concerned, and all Jasmine does is tell her they have break it off. They never discuss the assault, how it happened, or what they’re going to do about it.
And while Nash and Esposito give excellent performances as Beauty’s parents, the rest of the cast give portrayals that are half baked. Bradley, whose acting abilities need to be on point to carry the film, is uninspiring. She waits for her lines and gives a flat delivery every time.
It’s also strange that this film about a young female vocalist lacks her singing voice. We see her in the recording studio, in the church choir, singing on a TV show, but never actually hear her sing. Not even her mother, who is a well-known background vocalist, is ever heard singing. Even if the actors don’t have the vocal skills to pull it off, they could still lip sync.
Director Andrew Dosunmu knows how to make appealing visuals but lacks the ability to tell a cohesive story. The decision to make a film about a female vocalist and not have her sing is unfortunate, as is the lack of any dramatic buildup.
The Final Verdict:
Beauty is visually appealing but the story lacks structure and character development. There are far better ways to spend your time.
