ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

oneza The film was the worst. The performances were dry and not at all convincing. None of the actors even look like the people they were hired to portray. The story line felt as though it was written by someone with very little knowledge about Aaliyah. Nothing in the film felt genuine. Though her career was short lived, she was an icon and deserved better than this. This film was incredibly disrespectful to her legacy. Im highly disappointed in Lifetime.

Yellow Power This movie was not magnificent, but it wasn't terrible either. Yes, some of the actors performed poorly, but others were really talented. Contrary to popular belief, one of Aaliyah's songs actually was used, and Alexandra Shipp NAILED IT. Also, the movie remained true to the book that it was based on, therefore, the information provided was most likely accurate. The very few failures that I witnessed were: 1) the slow, boring script, 2) the lack of resemblance between the actors and the people they emulated, 3) the focus on Aaliyah's career as opposed to her personal life, and 4) the portrayal of Aaliyah as an articulate teenage scholar. Many people have undermined the importance of resemblance. However, actors are known to use costumes, makeup, and prosthesis because resemblance is important. Think of Charlize Theron in Monster and Sean Penn in Gangster Squad. Regardless, this movie was average so I gave it an average rating. 5/10.

tsg0003-162-462942 I had to rewrite this review because I wasn't allowed to use all caps to express how furious I am about this biopic Lifetime movie of Aaliyah. This movie gets ONE star. If I could give it a zero, I would. The Biopic was poorly executed. The casts had me so confused. Alexandra Shipp acting was a joke. *sigh* I didn't know Missy Elliot was biracial; didn't know Timbaland was Puerto Rican, and R. Kelly, didn't know he was from Nigeria. No. I'm not being racist, because I am a black woman but you would think the cast would have some similarities with the actual artists. I know the beautiful Aaliyah just looking down from Heaven and wondering why they would do this...they only focused on her romantic life than her music. Terrible! I usually don't write reviews at all but I felt it was only right for me to do so and give you guys my honest opinion about this biopic. Don't waste an 1 1/2 of your life watching this movie that you can't get back. I'd rather for you to watch paint dry than to sit through this mess of a movie. Please!!! I beg! Don't watch it. You will be highly disappointed!! LOL!!! I've warned you!!!

laneeset Why make a movie about Aaliyah and not do it right. The actress portraying Aaliyah has a singing style that sounds like "pop" while Aaliyah's style is way more Hip/Hop-R&B. The actor portraying R. Kelly looks nothing like him, not even close, and it really bothers when these movies are made about blacks that greater care is not made to find the right actors to more accurately represent the people being portrayed. This production is a massive fail. Aaliyah was a fabulous singer and dancer, how could Lifetime attempt to make a movie about her life and exclude her hits and not include more dancing and singing in it? Her greatest hits are not even in this movie. How can this be? It gets 2 stars simply for attempting to pay homage to the late songbird who deserves so much better than this.