‘I Am: Celine Dion’ review round-up: The legendary songstress unites fans with ‘the power of a good cry’
Following a New York premiere on June 17 and a limited theatrical release, “I Am: Celine Dion” began streaming June 24 on Amazon Prime Video. The documentary directed by Oscar nominee Irene Taylor details legendary pop singer Celine Dion‘s life, career accomplishments and battle with stiff person syndrome.
With a perfect score of 100% from both critics and fans on Rotten Tomatoes, the film from Amazon MGM Studios is a recommended watch. Read our full review round-up below.
Peter Debruge of Variety praises the film, stating, “This isn’t your standard VH1 ‘Behind the Music’ special. There are no talking heads (besides Celine’s), no tawdry gossip. Instead, ‘I Am’ depicts the side of Dion the diva doesn’t typically show: at home, sans makeup, surrounded by her kids and close-knit staff.” Concluding, “A natural entertainer (and a good-humored ham), Celine can hardly hold a conversation without bursting into song, which means it’s not just her amphitheater-filling public persona that’s impacted by her condition. For more than two years, she’s been deprived of that outlet, while her fans have been deprived of their power goddess, left only with an obscure-sounding diagnosis, after a series of dishonest excuses — from technical difficulties to throat and sinus infections — that now seem reasonable.”
Lovia Gyarkye of Hollywood Reporter says, “Dion sings in registers that require less work, as demonstrated later when she records a track for the Netflix movie ‘Love Again’ starring Priyanka Chopra. Taylor and her editors Richard Comeau and J. Christian Jensen stitch together a number of Dion’s session takes to show the effort required for the singer to do what once came so naturally. Through moments like these the director builds an affecting project of contrasts: A portrait of Dion, past and present.”
Pat Mullen of POV Magazine writes, “Céline Dion has amassed fans worldwide by making them feel the power of a good song. On film, she’ll inevitably unite them with the power of a good cry.” Adding, “Dion’s tears aren’t nostalgic odes for her past hits. They’re rather tearful laments for all the concerts and performances she may no longer get to do. ‘I Am: Céline Dion’ spotlights Canada’s greatest voice as she uses her instrument unlike ever before. She sheds light on a one-in-a-million condition with devastating consequences.”
Brad Wheeler of Globe and Mail notes, “’I Am: Celine Dion,’ which launches on is an affecting pageant of intense emotional moments chronicling the Quebec singer’s struggle with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle spasms and, in Dion’s case, significantly impairs her singing. We learn that Dion had suffered from undiagnosed symptoms for a long time, treating them with high doses of Valium. Though her condition is not fatal, the inability to perform at a high level – her last concert was nearly five years ago – is killing her.”
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