Amy Winehouse’s friend criticizes the film ‘Back to Black’. He says he liked one thing

Tyler James criticizes the film about the singer, claiming that Winehouse herself would be “furious” at the thought of how she is portrayed. He even claims that due to “strange inconsistencies” he didn’t feel like he was watching a biography of his friend but a “fantasy film.” He and Amy Winehouse met at school when the girl was 12 years old. They lived together from the time the singer was 18 until her death. Winehouse died in 2011 at the age of 27.

Amy Winehouse’s friend on ‘Back to Black’: It was terrible and doesn’t do her justice

“I didn’t expect it to be realistic or completely accurate,” Tyler told The Sun, adding:

But it was worse than I thought. It was terrible and doesn’t do her justice.

– They skimmed over her amazing life and left out huge parts. He doesn’t tell her story. There was so much more that could have been shown in this film that would have created a better and more complete picture of who Amy was, he laments. And he is not alone in this opinion. The film received mostly mixed and negative reviews from critics.

Critics tend to agree: it’s not worth it

At this point, of the nearly 50 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, only 45 percent are positive. is positive. Charlotte O’Sullivan of The Independent called the film’s “pathetic” use of metaphors and suggested the film was “not worth taking seriously.” Danny Leigh of The Financial Times described the film as “a depressing film that is both funny and ghastly”, giving it only two out of five stars. The same assessment by Wendy Ide from the Guardian. He points out that the best scenes are those showing the beginnings of love between the singer and her husband. Tyler James felt the same way and said that he liked one thing – he was happy with the way the filmmakers showed that the singer really loved Blake Fielder-Civil.

And he loved her. I liked Blake and I’m glad they didn’t make him an absolute villain because he wasn’t. He was often shown no sympathy, as if he was responsible for everything

– says James. At the same time, he points out that the film distorts issues related to Winehouse’s addiction. – Part of it looked like Amy was the only addict and the only one with a problem. It shows that they are leading [z mężem – red.] coherent conversations, and he speaks completely sober – she notes.

Fiedler-Civil himself said in a recent interview that “Back to Black” was an almost therapeutic experience for him. Quoted by “The Independent” that director Sam Taylor-Johnson did not focus only on the addiction of marriage (Fielder-Civil was repeatedly accused of pushing Amy Winehouse over the edge), but showed that their relationship started “like any other.” Taylor-Johnson met twice with her mother and three times with the singer’s father, but they had no influence on the production.

“Back to Black: The Story of Amy Winehouse” will be shown in Polish cinemas from April 19. The main role was played by Marisa Abela, who also sings Winehouse’s songs. BAFTA winner Jack O’Connell stars as Blake Fielder-Civil, Eddie Marsan stars as Mitch Winehouse, Juliet Cowan stars as Janis Winehouse, and Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Lesley Manville stars as Amy’s grandmother, Cynthia.