by Charles Kirkland, Jr.
Want to know the dirt on the iconic, ultra-cool woman who made a life out of dishing the dirt on celebrities? Check out the latest Lifetime original movie, Wendy Williams: The Movie.
Even as a child, Wendy Williams has always had a problem fitting in with others. Larger than the children her age (and more competitive), Wendy was a social outcast. Nevertheless, she always had a dream of becoming a superstar DJ in New York. What would Wendy have to do and have to overcome to achieve her dream goal?
Wendy Williams: The Movie is written by Leigh Davenport (Boomerang) and Scarlett Lacey (Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance) and directed by Darren Grant (The Chi, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Queen of the South). It stars Ciera Payton as Wendy Williams with Morocco Omari, Devielle Johnson, Rebecca Davis, Chelsea Brady, and Emy Aneke. Like the Salt-N-Pepa movie that was released by Lifetime last week, Wendy Williams serves as an executive producer on the show.
Wendy Williams: The Movie documents the rise and fall of the superstar “dirt-disher” from her early work in radio in Washington, DC to her dream job at Hot 97 in New York City to her super successful television show. Being a biopic, the story is straight forward and familiar. Which begs the question, what is the purpose of the movie? Because of her celebrity, the Wendy Williams story is mostly known. From her drug use to her failed marriage(s) everything about Wendy is fair game and open for all to see or read about thanks to this age of instant gossip media.
Wendy Williams is a remarkably distinctive woman. From her look to her voice, Wendy is very recognizable and while Ciera Payton (The Oval) is a very good-looking woman, she does not make one think of Wendy Williams. Even her voice, which does have a really strong accent, does not sound like Wendy Williams. In fact, much of the movie comes across as a romanticized version of reality. Except for the infamous fainting scene, which is hilariously ridiculous in comparison to the original, the whole movie seems a little sanitized which may be a result of having the icon as the executive producer. Wendy even appears at the end of the movie thanking viewers for watching the show.
It is just that, a show. Rated TV-MA for some language, mild violence, and scenes of drug use, Wendy Williams: The Movie is a silly attempt at a spin job, that tries to sell the sordid story of a woman who miraculously overcomes obstacles of her own creation to become a superstar. The problem is that the people who watch Wendy already know the dirt she shows here and, more importantly, the dirt she doesn’t show.
Grade: D-