View source for Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B

{{short description|2014 biographical television film directed by Bradley Walsh}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Aaliyah The Princess of R&B poster.jpg
| image_alt            =
| caption              = Promotional poster
| genre                =
| based_on             = {{based on|''Aaliyah: More than a Woman''|Christopher John Farley}}
| writer               = Michael Elliot
| director             = Bradley Walsh
| starring             = [[Alexandra Shipp]]<br />[[Clé Bennett]]<br />[[Elise Neal]]
| theme_music_composer =
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| producer             = [[Debra Martin Chase]]<br />Howard Braunstein<br />[[Wendy Williams]]
| editor               = David B. Thompson
| cinematography       = André Pienaar
| runtime              = 90 minutes<ref>{{cite web |last=|first=|date= |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/aaliyah-the-princess-of-rb |title=Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B Common Sense Media Listing |publisher=[[Common Sense Media]] |accessdate=May 22, 2017}}</ref>
| company              =
| budget               =
| network              = [[Lifetime (TV channel)|Lifetime]]
| released             = {{Start date|2014|11|15}}
}}
'''''Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B''''' is a 2014 American [[Biographical film|biographical]] [[television film]] directed by Bradley Walsh and based on the life and career of [[Rhythm and blues|R&B music]] star [[Aaliyah|Aaliyah Dana Haughton]], following her rise to fame and tragic death at age 22 when she was killed in a [[2001 Marsh Harbour Cessna 402 crash|plane crash]]. The film is also based on the biography ''Aaliyah: More than a Woman'' by [[Christopher John Farley]].<ref name="EW twitter reaction" /><ref name=lat>{{cite web|last1=Kennedy|first1=Gerrick D|title=Storm over TV film on Aaliyah shows she's still beloved, influential|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-aaliyah-lifetime-movie-alexandra-shipp-20141114-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 14, 2014 |accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> The film premiered on [[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]] on November 15, 2014, and was met with criticism in its early stages of production due to [[Aaliyah]]'s family's disapproval of Lifetime's choice to create the film. The film drew 3.2 million viewers upon its premiere, making it the second highest-rated television film of 2014, despite overwhelmingly negative reviews.<ref name="EW twitter reaction">{{cite magazine|last1=Bacle|first1=Ariana|title=Twitter was not happy with Lifetime's Aaliyah biopic|url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/11/16/lifetime-aaliyah-movie-twitter/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref>
==Plot==
In 1989, 10-year-old [[Aaliyah|Aaliyah Dana Haughton]] makes her debut TV appearance on ''[[Star Search]]'' performing a rendition of "[[My Funny Valentine]]". Aaliyah's mother Diane Haughton once aspired to pursue her own career in singing, but is now willing to do anything to help her daughter's take off. Aaliyah's uncle [[Barry Hankerson]] is a [[record producer]] and the founder and owner of record label [[Blackground Records]]. After losing ''Star Search'', Hankerson's ex-wife, [[Gladys Knight]] requests to perform with Aaliyah during a five-night stint in [[Las Vegas]]. In 1991, Aaliyah is informed by her uncle that she has been offered a record deal with Blackground Records and a signing with [[Jive Records]].
Aaliyah's Uncle Barry approaches one of his biggest clients, [[R. Kelly]] to write and produce for his niece. Though disinterested at first, Kelly agrees to write and produce Aaliyah's album after hearing her sing  "[[Save the Best for Last]]". Following the release of her debut single "[[Back & Forth (Aaliyah song)|Back & Forth]]" in May, 1994, Aaliyah becomes a teen success, with "[[Age Ain't Nothing but a Number (song)|Age Ain't Nothing But A Number]]" hitting number one, but speculations about her and Kelly dating begin to spread, and although Aaliyah continues to deny any status between the friendship with him. But it is later revealed that the two had [[illegal marriage|illegally married]] with Aaliyah lying about her age. Aaliyah's angry parents swear to have the marriage [[annulled]] by ending their relationship, and Aaliyah's father Michael threatens to have Kelly charged and arrested with statutory rape otherwise, leaving Aaliyah heartbroken and depressed. She later begins working on her second album with [[Timbaland]] and [[Missy Elliott]], when her heart is crushed once again upon discovering through the news that Kelly is now married to his backing dancer, [[Andrea Kelly|Andrea Lee]].
Aaliyah's second album ''[[One in a Million (Aaliyah album)|One in a Million]]'', featuring the single "[[Got to Give It Up#Aaliyah version|Got to Give It Up]]", is released in 1996, which goes double platinum in the US, making Aaliyah one of the biggest names in music, and recurring her title as [[Honorific nicknames in popular music|The Princess of R&B]]. The following year, she records "[[Journey to the Past#Aaliyah version|Journey to the Past]]", the [[theme song]] to the film ''[[Anastasia (1997 film)|Anastasia]]'', which she performs at the [[70th Academy Awards|Oscars]]. She is later offered a role as Trish O'Day in the film ''[[Romeo Must Die]]'', co-starring [[Jet Li]]. Meanwhile, Aaliyah's mother becomes concerned for her daughter's personal life, and tries to convince her to start dating, but Aaliyah is still disheartened from her separation from Kelly. Aaliyah attends the Hollywood [[premiere]] of ''Romeo Must Die'', where she states her next aspired role lies with the upcoming film ''[[Queen of the Damned]]'', an adaptation of [[The Queen of the Damned|one of her favorite books]].
Following her movie success, Aaliyah moves to [[New York City]] where she meets [[Damon Dash]], and the two fall in love. A year later, Aaliyah is set to travel via [[Cessna 402|plane]] to [[The Bahamas]] to shoot a [[music video]] for "[[Rock the Boat (Aaliyah song)|Rock the Boat]]", from her third (and final) album, ''[[Aaliyah (album)|Aaliyah]]''. Damon sees Aaliyah to her [[Limousine|limo]], the two share a final kiss goodbye, and promise each other, that upon her return, they'll start taking their relationship more seriously, and prioritizing each other over their careers. As the limo drives away, Aaliyah waves goodbye and blows a kiss to Damon, who mouths "I love you", to which she mouths in response, "I love you too". The film ends with texts stating: "On August 25, 2001, after shooting the 'Rock the Boat' music video in the Bahamas, Aaliyah and eight others were killed when their [[2001 Marsh Harbour Cessna 402 crash|plane crashed shortly after takeoff]]. She was twenty-two when she died. Her music and legacy will remain in our hearts forever".
==Cast==
* [[Alexandra Shipp]] as [[Aaliyah|Aaliyah Dana Haughton]]
* [[Clé Bennett]] as [[R. Kelly]]
* [[Elise Neal]] as [[Gladys Knight]]
* [[Christopher Jacot]] as Ryan Nichols
* Chattrisse Dolabaille as [[Missy Elliott]]
* Anthony Grant as [[Damon Dash]]
* [[Rachael Crawford]] as Diane Haughton
* [[A.J. Saudin]] as [[Rashad Haughton]] (Older)
* Dewshane Williams as Derek Lee
* [[Elena Juatco]] as Press Member
* Izaak Smith as [[Timbaland]]
* [[Morgan Kelly]] as Senior Label Executive
* [[Lyriq Bent]] as [[Barry Hankerson]]
* Sherton Sanderson as Damon's Friend
* Tiffany Davidson as Keisha
==Production==
In June 2014 Lifetime announced their intent to film a biopic that would focus on the life of Aaliyah.<ref name="TW June 27, 2014">{{cite web|last1=Nededog|first1=Jethro|title=Aaliyah's Family Speaks Out on Biopic: Lifetime Is the 'Wrong Forum'|date=June 27, 2014 |url=http://www.thewrap.com/lifetime-aaliyah-movie-family-protests/|publisher=The Wrap|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> This decision was met with criticism by the singer's family, who did not believe that Lifetime was the best venue for the film and that they did not approve of the production as a whole.<ref name="EW twitter reaction" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Stedman|first1=Alex|title=Zendaya Leaves Lifetime's Aaliyah Biopic|url=https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/zendaya-leaves-lifetimes-aaliyah-biopic-1201254499/|work=Variety|date=June 29, 2014 |accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> As the record label ran by Barry and Jomo Hankerson, Aaliyah's uncle and cousin, held control over the masters to Aaliyah's recordings, they did not allow Lifetime access to that material,<ref name="TW June 27, 2014" /> resulting in the company having to record covers for the songs used in the film.<ref name=WP>{{cite news|last1=Yahr|first1=Emily|title='Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B' producers defend, explain controversial Lifetime biopic|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/11/14/aaliyah-the-princess-of-rb-producers-defend-explain-controversial-lifetime-biopic/|newspaper=The Washington Post|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> Four of her songs (two covers) were used in the film: the [[Isley Brothers]]' "[[At Your Best (You Are Love)]]," [[Marvin Gaye]]'s "[[Got to Give It Up]]," "[[Journey to the Past]]" and "[[The One I Gave My Heart To]]."
The decision to bring on actress and singer [[Zendaya]] to perform as Aaliyah was also met with criticism, as people felt that Zendaya was too light skinned and did not greatly resemble Aaliyah.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ge|first1=Linda|title=Zendaya Fires Back at Critics Over Aaliyah Casting Backlash|date=June 18, 2014 |url=http://www.thewrap.com/zendaya-fires-back-at-critics-over-aaliyah-casting-backlash/|publisher=The Wrap|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> She later dropped out of the project and the role of Aaliyah was recast with [[Alexandra Shipp]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Agard|first1=Chancellor|title=Alexandra Shipp will replace Zendaya in Lifetime's Aaliyah biopic|url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/18/alexandra-shipp-will-replace-zendaya-in-lifetimes-aaliyah-biopic/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> Zendaya explained her reasons for leaving the production, stating, "The main reason is that the production value wasn't there, there were complications with the music rights, and I just felt like it wasn't being handled delicately considering the situation", also adding she tried contacting the singer's family to no avail.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/video-zendaya-coleman-explains-why-719877 | title=Zendaya Coleman Explains Why She Exited Aaliyah Biopic | work=The Hollywood Reporter | date=July 20, 2014 | accessdate=January 21, 2016}}</ref> In order to prepare for her role, Alexandra Shipp watched archive footage of Aaliyah and listened to her songs in order to try to mimic her mannerisms and singing voice.<ref name=TIME>{{cite magazine|last1=Zemler|first1=Emily|title=Alexandra Shipp on Making Lifetime's Aaliyah Biopic: The Backlash Is "Ridiculous"|url=https://time.com/3587271/aaliyah-biopic-alexandra-shipp-2/|access-date=17 November 2014|magazine=Time|date= 15 November 2014}}</ref>
==Reception==
Critical reception to ''Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B'' has been predominantly negative.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tigget|first1=Jai|title=Review: Five Things Missing from 'Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B'|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/review-five-things-missing-from-aaliyah-the-princess-of-r-b-20141114|publisher=IndieWire|accessdate=17 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141118052604/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/review-five-things-missing-from-aaliyah-the-princess-of-r-b-20141114|archive-date=18 November 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Rosa|first1=Christopher|title=Lifetime's Aaliyah Biopic: The Film That Should Never Have Been Made|url=http://www.vh1.com/celebrity/2014-11-15/aaliyah-lifetime-movie/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119012216/http://www.vh1.com/celebrity/2014-11-15/aaliyah-lifetime-movie/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 19, 2014|publisher=VH1|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref><ref name=THR>{{cite web|last1=Keene|first1=Allison|title='Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B': TV Review|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/aaliyah-princess-r-b-tv-749086|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 15, 2014 |accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref><ref name="TW review">{{cite web|last1=Madden Toby|first1=Mekeisha|title='Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B' Review: Lifetime Movie Fails to Rock the Boat|date=November 14, 2014 |url=http://www.thewrap.com/aaliyah-the-princess-of-rb-review-lifetime-movie-fails-to-rock-the-boat/|publisher=The Wrap|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> Jon Caramanica of ''[[The New York Times]]'' panned the film, criticizing it as "ham-handed" and "underwhelming" and writing "Condensing the singer's life into such a short space requires a cruel knife and, in this case, a wildly imprecise one. A good film doesn't show its seams. This one — based on ''Aaliyah: More Than a Woman'', a biography by Christopher John Farley — is mostly seams. Much of the acting has dull edges, and the screenplay is aggravatingly stilted."<ref name="NYT review">{{cite news|last1=Caramanica|first1=Jon|title=Resinging the Song of a Life Cut Short|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/15/arts/television/aaliyah-the-princess-of-rb-debuts-on-lifetime.html?_r=0|work=The New York Times|date=November 14, 2014 |accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' also criticized the film, commenting that the "overuse of the three and four-way split screen montages only enhanced the lack of material."<ref name=WSJ>{{cite web|last1=Leeds|first1=Sarene|title=The Five Things We Took Away from 'Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B'|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/11/15/the-five-things-we-took-away-from-aaliyah-the-princess-of-rb/|work=The Wall Street Journal|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref>
Viewer reaction for the film has been extremely negative and fans mocked the film on social media websites,<ref name="EW twitter reaction" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Heller|first1=Corrine|title=Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B Lifetime Movie: 5 Key Moments, Plus Alexandra Shipp, Missy Elliott, Timbaland & Viewers React|date=November 16, 2014 |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/598294/aaliyah-the-princess-of-r-b-lifetime-movie-5-key-moments-plus-alexandra-shipp-missy-elliot-timbaland-viewers-react|publisher=E!|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> using the hashtags #LifetimeBiopics and #LifetimeBeLike.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Robertson|first1=Iyana|title=#LifetimeBiopics: Of Course Twitter Went In On The Aaliyah Biopic|date=November 16, 2014 |url=http://www.vibe.com/photo-gallery/twitter-goes-in-lifetime-biopics-memes|publisher=VIBE|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Coleman|first1=C. Vernon|title=Twitter Reacts To Aaliyah Bio With Hilarious #LifeTimeBiopics|date=November 16, 2014 |url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2014/11/twitter-reacts-aaliyah-bio-hilarious-lifetimebiopics/|publisher=XXL Mag|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hough|first1=Cassandra|title=The 9 Best Suggestions From #LifetimeBiopics Are Guaranteed To Make You Laugh Out Loud|url=http://www.crushable.com/2014/11/16/entertainment/lifetime-biopics-twitter-aaliya-movie-reaction/|publisher=Crushable|accessdate=17 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119045839/http://www.crushable.com/2014/11/16/entertainment/lifetime-biopics-twitter-aaliya-movie-reaction/|archive-date=19 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Viewers felt that Shipp was miscast as Aaliyah, that the late singer's controversial relationship with [[R. Kelly]] was overly romanticized, and that the music covers did not do justice to the original songs.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bailie|first1=Katie|title=Aaliyah The Princess of R&B: The internet and Timbaland are seriously annoyed with Lifetime's biopic|date=November 16, 2014 |url=https://metro.co.uk/2014/11/16/aaliyah-the-princess-of-rb-the-internet-is-seriously-annoyed-with-lifetimes-biopic-4950198/|publisher=Metro|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Herrera|first1=Paulina|title='Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B' fans rompen Twitter con críticas a la película|date=November 16, 2014 |url=http://varietylatino.com/2014/gente/noticias/aaliyah-the-princess-of-rb-fans-rompen-twitter-criticas-pelicula-lifetime-112589/|publisher=Variety Latino|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> Fans further commented on the film's casting as a whole and many created pictures that overly exaggerated what they felt was extreme miscasting of many of the celebrities depicted in the film.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Thompson|first1=Avery|title='Aaliyah: The Princess Of R&B': Fans Mock Biopic In Funny Memes|url=http://hollywoodlife.com/2014/11/16/aaliyah-lifetime-movie-memes-twitter-pics/|publisher=Hollywood Life|accessdate=17 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119031535/http://hollywoodlife.com/2014/11/16/aaliyah-lifetime-movie-memes-twitter-pics/|archive-date=19 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Tardio|first1=Andres|title=Here's What Timbaland and Audiences Thought of Lifetime's Aaliyah Biopic|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1999606/timbaland-aaliyah-lifetime-biopic/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119043921/http://www.mtv.com/news/1999606/timbaland-aaliyah-lifetime-biopic/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 19, 2014|publisher=MTV|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The 15 Best Twitter Memes From Lifetime's 'Aaliyah: The Princess Of R&B' Biopic|url=http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/31517/20141116/the-15-best-twitter-memes-from-lifetimes-aaliyah-the-princess-of-rb-biopic.htm|publisher=Fashion & Style|accessdate=17 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141120070944/http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/31517/20141116/the-15-best-twitter-memes-from-lifetimes-aaliyah-the-princess-of-rb-biopic.htm|archive-date=20 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/aaliyah-the-princess-of-rnb}}
* {{IMDb title|3823994}}
{{Aaliyah}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aaliyah: The Princess Of RandB}}
[[Category:2014 in American television]]
[[Category:2014 television films]]
[[Category:2014 films]]
[[Category:2014 biographical drama films]]
[[Category:Aaliyah]]
[[Category:African-American biographical dramas]]
[[Category:African-American drama films]]
[[Category:American biographical drama films]]
[[Category:American teen drama films]]
[[Category:Biographical films about singers]]
[[Category:Biographical television films]]
[[Category:Black people in art]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of American people]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of pop musicians]]
[[Category:American drama television films]]
[[Category:Films based on biographies]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1990s]]
[[Category:Films shot in Toronto]]
[[Category:Lifetime (TV channel) films]]
[[Category:R. Kelly]]
[[Category:2010s American films]]