A film's obvious attractiveness may come from the director Andrew Dosunmu's stylish production, which is possibly at odds with the film's aspirations. Because specific and definite times in Houston's life are reinterpreted in the movie, one can presume that beauty is a not-so-subtle attempt at an unauthorised Whitney Houston biopic. This also applies to her long-rumored love interest in her best friend Robin Crawford. Contrary to the recent non-Celine Dion biopic Aline, beauty is not in any way audacious enough to stake that claim. beauty has a stern seriousness about it that further sets it apart from that movie.
The movie hardly acknowledges how endlessly dull it is. It fails because it tries to depict the highs and lows of being a Black female artist in a broad sense. Because of this unique experience, audiences have been exposed to a variety of legendary musicians whose tales of mistreatment have misogynistic roots. It is difficult, especially in a pleasing way, to sum up that experience in under two hours, but it is possible. However, Beauty's attempt to use a critical lens to examine this experience is undermined by its lethargic, soulless, and heartless heroine.
The mystery of beauty is weird and unrelenting. Fortunately, Dosunmu's aesthetic is sufficient to keep the viewer fully fascinated on what is happening on screen. One of the few actors who has the ability to grab the audience's attention with only a glance or a breath is Niecy Nash, who plays Beauty's worried mother. To that aim, beauty has a talented cast; notable actors like Giancarlo Esposito can be seen onscreen as well as in the background. The movie's failure to successfully portray the music portion of a musical drama is the most perplexing thing of all, even though the supporting characters improve the movie.