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Reclaiming Amy airs on BBC2 exactly ten years after singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse passed away.
“You think you know Amy” is the mantra of this documentary, from her mother, Janis, who developed MS while Amy’s career was on the rise.
What follows is various disconnected clips such as the moment Amy Winehouse was shocked to receive news of winning a Grammy, thanks to an announcement from Tony Bennett who read out the award, plus archive footage of a school production of Grease with Amy as Rizzo, and various concerts on her rise to fame and notoriety.
Plus, Janis and Amy’s father, Mitch, tell how they sold the house in which they lived with her, but kept the first flat she ever owned, before eventually moving on to showing her life unravelling after she met and married Blake Fielder-Civil, becoming anorexic and watching her life fall apart.
There’s also chat from close friends, including Catriona, spilling the beans about how they had a sexual relationship. I’m not quite sure why we needed to know that. Methinks, Catriona is trying to get some clout for herself.
We learn how, in 2015, Mitch had a nervous breakdown because of the godawful, biased, ‘Amy‘ documentary. At least, here, he gets to put across his side of the story.
However, while I’m glad that’s been brought to us from both parents in that way that that ‘documentary’ didn’t, despite the promise of “You think you know Amy” – as if we’re about to be informed of some incredible revelations, overall, we still don’t learn anything new from this.
Clearly, it was made as a 10th Anniversary commemoration, but in terms of worthy content, you know it’s no good.
Reclaiming Amy is on BBC2 tomorrow night at 9pm, but is unlikely to be available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD.
After broadcast, it will be on the BBC iPlayer.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.