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Back to Black poster
6.2
Monumental Pictures Acclaimed

Back to Black

Sam Taylor-Johnson's authorised Amy Winehouse biopic — Marisa Abela sings her heart out in a conventionally structured but warmly received portrait of a singular talent.

2024 122 min R
Critic6.2
Peacock Prime Video Apple TV Fandango at Home

Overview

The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse's early rise to fame — from her Camden roots through the tumultuous love affair with Blake Fielder-Civil that inspired one of the greatest albums of all time, Back to Black, told through Amy's own eyes.
Story 5.5
Acting 7.5
Direction 6.5
Cinematography 7.0
Music 9.0
Pacing 6.0
Originality 5.0
Emotional Impact 6.5
Overall 6.2

Editorial Review

By FindEdition Cinema Desk

6.2 /10

Marisa Abela

The film's indisputable asset — Abela is physically striking as Winehouse and sings with genuine conviction, capturing Amy's mannerisms, her humour and her fragility without ever feeling like mere impression. The vocal training is remarkable.

The music

Hearing Amy Winehouse's original recordings — and Abela's own vocal interpretations — in a cinema is the closest thing to a love letter the film achieves. The Camden sequences crackle with the energy of a talent arriving.

Pros

  • Marisa Abela's physically and vocally committed performance
  • Winehouse's original music sounds extraordinary in cinemas
  • Full Estate authorisation gives access to real archive footage and music
  • Nick Cave & Warren Ellis score

Cons

  • Critically divisive — 34% Tomatometer rating
  • Underperformed at the US box office
  • Conventional biopic structure fails to match the complexity of Winehouse's story
  • Seen as hagiographic in places
Verdict A well-intentioned, handsomely mounted biopic that is elevated by Marisa Abela's committed performance and Winehouse's incomparable music — but ultimately too conventional in its approach to do justice to one of the most complex figures in modern pop history.

AI Review

Sam Taylor-Johnson's authorised Amy Winehouse biopic — Marisa Abela sings her heart out in a conventionally structured but warmly received portrait of a singular talent.

A well-intentioned, handsomely mounted biopic that is elevated by Marisa Abela's committed performance and Winehouse's incomparable music — but ultimately too conventional in its approach to do justice to one of the most complex figures in modern pop history.

Watch Back to Black on Peacock, then follow it with Asif Kapadia's documentary Amy (2015) for the full, unvarnished picture.

Awards

Empire Awards

Best British Film · Nominated

Empire Awards

Best Actress (Marisa Abela) · Nominated

British Independent Film Awards

Best Performance (Marisa Abela) · Nominated

Timeline

Release Date
Theatrical Date
Digital Date
Physical Date
Premiere
Festival
Status
Development

StudioCanal developed the film in close collaboration with the Amy Winehouse Estate, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Publishing. Sam Taylor-Johnson was attached to direct; Matt Greenhalgh wrote the screenplay. Marisa Abela was cast as Amy Winehouse after an extensive search.

Principal photography

Filmed on location in London from January to April 2023, recreating Camden, Amy's Southgate home and other key locations from her life.

Release

Released in the UK and Australia in April 2024; US release via Focus Features on May 17, 2024. Digital release June 3; exclusive Peacock debut July 5, 2024; physical (Blu-ray/DVD) July 23, 2024.

Empire Awards

Best British Film Nominated

Empire Awards

Best Actress (Marisa Abela) Nominated

British Independent Film Awards

Best Performance (Marisa Abela) Nominated

Production

Development

StudioCanal developed the film in close collaboration with the Amy Winehouse Estate, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Publishing. Sam Taylor-Johnson was attached to direct; Matt Greenhalgh wrote the screenplay. Marisa Abela was cast as Amy Winehouse after an extensive search.

Principal photography

Filmed on location in London from January to April 2023, recreating Camden, Amy's Southgate home and other key locations from her life.

Release

Released in the UK and Australia in April 2024; US release via Focus Features on May 17, 2024. Digital release June 3; exclusive Peacock debut July 5, 2024; physical (Blu-ray/DVD) July 23, 2024.

Streaming

Cast

Characters

Crew

Videos

Official Trailer

Soundtrack

  1. Rehab — Amy Winehouse (original recording / Marisa Abela vocal)
  2. Back to Black — Amy Winehouse (original recording)
  3. Valerie — Amy Winehouse (original recording)
  4. Love Is a Losing Game — Amy Winehouse (original recording)
  5. Tears Dry on Their Own — Amy Winehouse (original recording)
  6. Original Score — Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

Trivia

  • Marisa Abela, known from BBC/HBO's Industry, performed all of Amy Winehouse's songs herself — she underwent over a year of vocal training to recreate Winehouse's distinctive jazz-soul voice.
  • The film was made with the full, active support of the Amy Winehouse Estate, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Publishing — giving it access to Amy's original recordings and personal archive.
  • Director Sam Taylor-Johnson previously directed Nowhere Boy (2009), the authorised biopic of John Lennon's teenage years — making her one of the few directors to helm two major authorised British music biopics.
  • Screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh also wrote Control (2007), Ian Curtis's Joy Division biopic, and Nowhere Boy — establishing him as a defining voice in British music biography screenwriting.
  • Nick Cave and Warren Ellis composed the score, giving the film a distinctive, moody musical palette beneath Winehouse's original recordings.
  • The original score composer pairing of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is the same team behind the acclaimed scores for The Road (2009), The Assassination of Jesse James (2007) and Blonde (2022).
  • Despite mixed critical scores (34% Tomatometer), audience reception was strongly positive — 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ CinemaScore.

Quotes

"I write what I feel. The world just happened to feel it too."

"They tried to make me go to rehab. I said no, no, no."

Goofs

  • An electric LEVC TXE taxi appears in a scene set around 2007–2008, though that model was not manufactured until 2018.
  • Camden market signage visible in background shots reflects post-2010 branding, inconsistent with the 2003–2006 period depicted.

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Recommendations & Alternatives

A similarly themed alternative is Lee Cronin's The Mummy.

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