Entertainment

Amy Winehouse's Dad Slams 'Amy'

by Loretta Donelan

The new documentary Amy about the life and fall of musical icon Amy Winehouse has received rave reviews from critics, but not from her family. While originally on board with the project, Amy's father Mitch Winehouse allegedly hates the documentary Amy so much that he might make his own film about her life. The film, which was directed by Asif Kapadia and came out this weekend, paints a picture of Winehouse's life as a reluctant celebrity who struggled with drugs, alcohol, and bulimia. It also suggests that many of her family members and close friends weren't always able to provide her with the support she needed.

Mitch Winehouse and his family have previously spoken out publicly about renouncing their ties to the film after seeing it. Now that it has been released to wide audiences and to almost unanimous praise, he has continued to bash the documentary's portrayal of his daughter's life and has discussed his plans to create his own documentary. The Mirror reported that Winehouse and Amy's boyfriend at the time of her death Reg Traviss, who also criticized the film, are collaborating on a project that will right what they see as huge omissions in the movie. "We’re making an alternative film, Reg and I," Mitch told ITV's Loose Women. "We’re going to invite everyone that’s spoken on the other film and we’re not going to edit it – like they’ve edited me – and we’re going to tell the truth about Amy’s life because this is not."

“They are trying to portray me in the worst possible light,” he told The Guardian . In the film, he remarks that his daughter didn't need to go to rehab at the time of her famous hit, a statement he claims was falsely edited. "What I said was: ‘She didn’t need to go to rehab at that time.' They’ve edited me out saying ‘at that time’." Traviss has told EW that he also has problems with Kapadia's editing, suggesting that he picked and chose shots and events to paint a familiar but inaccurate picture of a struggling artist. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the portrayal of Mitch:

Amy had a very close and very warm relationship with her father; they were like both father and daughter and like best friends, but the documentary goes out of its way to portray their relationship as hollow and problematic, which was a plainly distorted and spun depiction for the benefit of the documentary’s narrative.

Whether it's accurate or not, it's hard to imagine how an intimate look at the untimely death of a star could reflect positively on everyone around her. The film points its finger at another culprit: her ravenous fans and the media, many of whom have raved about the movie. Perhaps the Winehouse family is wise to take in the film with reservations.