Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Whitney: Can I Be Me

  • 2017
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
Whitney Houston in Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017)
Tells the story of Whitney Houston's extraordinary life and tragic death.
Play trailer1:57
2 Videos
10 Photos
DocumentaryMusic

Tells the story of Whitney Houston's extraordinary life and tragic death.Tells the story of Whitney Houston's extraordinary life and tragic death.Tells the story of Whitney Houston's extraordinary life and tragic death.

  • Directors
    • Nick Broomfield
    • Rudi Dolezal
  • Writers
    • Nick Broomfield
    • Marc Hoeferlin
  • Stars
    • Whitney Houston
    • Michael Baker
    • Wayne Lindsey
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    5.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Nick Broomfield
      • Rudi Dolezal
    • Writers
      • Nick Broomfield
      • Marc Hoeferlin
    • Stars
      • Whitney Houston
      • Michael Baker
      • Wayne Lindsey
    • 36User reviews
    • 60Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations total

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:57
    Official Trailer
    Whitney: Can It Be Me: The Greatest Love Of All (Italian Subtitled)
    Clip 1:27
    Whitney: Can It Be Me: The Greatest Love Of All (Italian Subtitled)
    Whitney: Can It Be Me: The Greatest Love Of All (Italian Subtitled)
    Clip 1:27
    Whitney: Can It Be Me: The Greatest Love Of All (Italian Subtitled)

    Photos9

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 4
    View Poster

    Top cast46

    Edit
    Whitney Houston
    Whitney Houston
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Michael Baker
    • Self - Musical Director
    Wayne Lindsey
    • Self - Piano
    Sharlotte Gibson
    • Self - Vocalist
    Kirk Whalum
    • Self - Whitney's Saxophonist
    Pattie Howard
    • Self - Whitney's Bass Singer
    Gary Houston
    Gary Houston
    • Self - Whitney's Brother
    Cissy Houston
    Cissy Houston
    • Self - Whitney's Mother
    Toni Gregory
    • Self - Whitney's Childhood Friend
    • (voice)
    John Russell Houston Jr.
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as John Houston)
    Ellin Lavar
    • Self - Friend and Stylist
    • (archive footage)
    • (voice)
    Frances Grill
    • Self - Whitney's Modelling Agent
    • (voice)
    Michael Houston
    • Self - Whitney's Brother
    Robyn Crawford
    • Self - Whitney's Closest Confidant
    • (archive footage)
    Kenneth Reynolds
    • Self - Marketing Executive, Arista Records
    Clive Davis
    Clive Davis
    • Self - Chairman and CEO, Arista Records
    • (archive footage)
    Tony Anderson
    • Self - Head of Promotion, Arista Records
    Doug Daniel
    • Self - R&B Promotions Executive, Arista Records
    • Directors
      • Nick Broomfield
      • Rudi Dolezal
    • Writers
      • Nick Broomfield
      • Marc Hoeferlin
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews36

    6.85.2K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    8kristinlcasey

    Changed Perspective

    We all make our own choices in life, and I usually stand pretty firm that we are individually responsible for those (especially with adults several decades into their life). However, this documentary changed my perspective on this situation quite a bit. Due to a number of factors, (growing up with some family fame, early drug use with siblings, getting her own fame at a young age), she never really had a normal base foundation... So how was she ever supposed to recognize it in her later years? There's more to the story; It was quite compelling actually, and I encourage you to watch it. RIP Whitney.
    6labng

    Beautifully done

    We got the perfection with the bumps. I found this to be very respectful and I appreciated it greatly. What a fantastic talent who was a woman-- human. Gone too soon, like far too many others.
    7BlueBoyReviews

    CHEER! - (7 stars out of 10)

    The stage curtains open ...

    I just finished watching and reviewing the other documentary on Whitney Houston simply titled "Whitney" (2018) - and felt compelled to watch this one as well. I think the aforementioned documentary was better made and more detailed. But what I really appreciated about this one was the concert footage, and the behind-the-scenes / backstage footage as well.

    When Whitney came off stage and went to the make-up/hair booth to catch a breather, and I saw the tears in her eyes and the drain and toll it was all taking on her, my heart broke for her. She really did pour everything she had into her singing, emotionally, physically and spiritually. And then she managed, somehow, to get it together in time to go back out on stage and finish the show.

    There is just so much that went wrong in Whitney's life. Some blame Bobby Brown, others her Mom, others her Dad, others Robyn, and still yet others the time she was living in and what was socially acceptable and not acceptable. I guess I'm one who believes it was a combination and culmination of all of the above. I am also one who believes that we are all better for having had her in our lives, in whatever respect that may be.

    I enjoyed this documentary. It was honest, fair and presented in an unbiased way. It is worth watching, if only to remember the heart of gold that Whitney always had - even during her inner conflict and pain. She always had that.
    7Jeremy_Urquhart

    A hard watch, but it's quite well done

    Wasn't expecting this to be a happy watch, but I really didn't know just how sad Whitney Houston's life was. It was a powerful and generally respectful and even-handed documentary look at her life.

    I don't expect it would have much appeal to her fans or those who know a lot about her, because it's a pretty straightforward summary, and structured in the way you'd expect.

    There's a biopic coming out about Houston which is going to be difficult. If they don't hold back, it's going to distress and depress many viewers. But if they sugarcoat her life and ignore the dark times, that's going to be dishonest and maybe even disrespectful. Good luck to the makers I guess - the film's completed, so it'll be interesting to see the reaction to it when it's released.
    8eyez76

    Eye Opening

    At one point in my life, Whitney was the woman with the voice that made me long to be a singer. I absolutely idolized her. Her struggles with drug addiction was so disappointing to me, as was her death as a result of that struggle.

    For me, this was an extremely honest, eye opening documentary that made me both sad and angry. We were always lead to believe Bobby was who got her into drugs. Finding out that she'd been doing drugs since she was a child - in my opinion - is a game changer. And the fact that her family took massive advantage of, and controlled, her, all the while enabling her addiction is just absolutely sickening. As for her relationship with Robyn, it's a damn shame the relationship couldn't have been what it should've been able to be.

    For those who gave low scores on this documentary... Sometimes the truth isn't pretty. It can be ugly. It can be hard to hear. Sometimes it's just downright sad. It doesn't make it wrong to tell the story. In fact, sometimes it makes it more important for the story to be told.

    More like this

    Whitney
    7.3
    Whitney
    The Client List
    5.6
    The Client List
    Like Father
    6.1
    Like Father
    Miss Americana
    7.4
    Miss Americana
    Spread
    5.8
    Spread
    Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist
    7.5
    Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist
    A Lot Like Love
    6.6
    A Lot Like Love
    Amy
    7.8
    Amy
    Wild Target
    6.7
    Wild Target
    Book Club
    6.1
    Book Club
    Pamela: A Love Story
    7.2
    Pamela: A Love Story
    V
    6.8
    V

    Related interests

    Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
    Documentary
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
    Music

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Much of the footage in this documentary stems from backstage film shot during Whitney Houston's 1999 tour by Nick Broomfield's co-director, Rudi Dolezal. All the interviews with Houston's friends and family date from that time as they all refused to co-operate with Broomfield. Dolezal had over 100 hours of footage to draw from.
    • Quotes

      Whitney Houston: I want people to remember me just being a real nice person.

    • Connections
      Referenced in The Andrew Klavan Show: Is MAGA Over? (2017)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ17

    • How long is Whitney: Can I Be Me?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 18, 2017 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Vitni Hjuston: Biti svoja
    • Filming locations
      • Vienna, Austria(in concert)
    • Production companies
      • Lafayette Films
      • Passion Pictures
      • Showtime Networks
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $341,402
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 45m(105 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.