Beware of spoilers! Following, details from the upcoming Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and the singer’s actual life are compared and contrasted. Avoid further reading if you haven’t watched it and don’t want to know anything about it.

Given the breadth of Whitney Houston’s life, it’s not surprising that the events described in “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” happen quickly one after the other.

The film (now playing in theatres) was produced with the blessing of Houston’s estate and the assistance of her mentor, recording tycoon Clive Davis (and a bounty of her gorgeous pop songs).

Creative freedom exists even in the most revered biopics, so we asked questions about many scenes that left us scratching our heads. We had some help from Kasi Lemmons, who directed the film and lived and breathed “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” for 17 months.

Was there an affair between Whitney Houston and Jermaine Jackson?

After Houston and Jackson recorded the duet “If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful” for Jackson’s 1986 album, rumours began to circulate that they were having an affair “This CD is called “Precious Moments,” and it features many touching photographs. In the movie, Houston and Jackson are shown making passionate eye contact in the recording studio, and then Houston confesses to her jealous lover Robyn Crawford that she had an affair with Jackson.

Lemmons stated, “there were intense emotions” present during the recording sessions that led to an affair (Jackson was married at the time). Jackson’s sister LaToya also claimed that her brother had acknowledged to the connection during an appearance on “The Talk” in 2012.

Did Whitney’s dad, John Houston, force her to go out on dates with guys?

Houston’s sexuality is brought up early on in the film as she and Crawford develop into close friends and maybe more than that. However, John Houston had strong opinions about how his daughter should be perceived, especially when her singing career took off.

John, Whitney’s father, “was very focused on the brand,” as Lemmons puts it. There were rumours he threatened Robyn after hearing the news about Whitney’s sexuality. Lemmons adds that worries about Houston’s sexuality were “archaic even then.” “The way she looked was really important to (John). To him, Whitney embodied the ideal of Barbie.”

Was Whitney too high to attend her father’s funeral?

Funeral scenes for John Houston are intercut with scenes of Houston high on narcotics at home.
Lemmons claims that Houston didn’t miss her father’s funeral because she was high on drugs, even though Houston did not show there.

The most plausible explanation is that Houston hadn’t really forgiven her father for suing her for breach of contract months before, despite forgiving him on his deathbed.

Whitney checked herself into treatment in 2004, after John’s death in 2003. Therefore, her problems with substance misuse were “about simultaneously,” Lemmons chimes in.

The biography of Whitney Houston has a gratingly familiar score, according to the critics.

If so, did Clive Davis host an intervention for Whitney at his home?

Davis did at one time invite Houston to his house to apply tough love, and it is well-documented that Houston’s mentor made several attempts to lead her toward recovery. We were seated over there,” he might say, as Lemmons recalled.

Did drug traffickers slip Whitney anything while posing as admirers wanting an autograph?

In the film, Houston comes up with a cunning plan to get drugs: he’ll pretend to give his dealer a signature in exchange for a pen. (The pen was where we hid the narcotics.) Lemmons claims that scriptwriter Anthony McCarten has film of the “fan” discussing the setup, despite her belief that more than one dealer was involved in similar dealings with Houston.

According to Lemmons, “people take credit for the oddest things.” Several people came forward after Whitney’s death claiming to be her drug supplier.

Did Whitney buy drugs from someone in the Beverly Hilton foyer on the day she died?

In 2012, Houston, 48, drowned in her hotel bathtub only hours before Davis’ traditional pre-Grammy celebration. Cocaine, Xanax, marijuana, and other drugs were detected in her system during the autopsy.

On the afternoon of her death, the video depicts Houston strolling around the hotel lobby, when she runs into the same long-haired autograph seeker she had previously traded pens with.

Lemmons claims she “had on excellent information” that Houston did, in fact, buy narcotics on the day she died, albeit she probably didn’t do it herself. (There must have been cameras in the hotel lobby that caught Houston.)

“Famous individuals have people to help you with such transactions,” she explains.

Is it possible that Whitney met with a hotel bartender in the hours leading up to her untimely death?

If the idea of a superstar of Houston’s proportions relaxing at a hotel bar during the day and striking up a conversation with the bartender seems implausible, it’s because it wasn’t.

The bartender gives a heartfelt eulogy to Houston at the close of the film, reminding her of her greatness and reminiscing about her legendary performance at the 1994 American Music Awards (a medley of “I Loves You Porgy,” “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” and “I Have Nothing”).

However, Lemmons concedes, “it was just a great piece of writing.” We wanted her to meet a supporter whose affections for her would rival their own. I’m sure she had a lot of experiences like that.