The United States Vs Billie Holiday review: a stunning portrayal of a rebel with a cause. Andra Day looks and sounds like every inch the movie star in the performance numbers and when Billie enjoys rare moments of peace and happiness offstage — and she is equally, heartbreakingly believable as Billie’s appearance deteriorates and her soul is crushed by years of drug abuse, and a lifetime of being physically and emotionally battered by a series of men who looked at this amazing, glorious, singular star and saw little more than a cash register. While conducting our United States vs. Billie Holiday fact-check, we discovered that Andra Day is a stage name that the singer/songwriter chose years ago as a homage to Billie Holiday (nicknamed Lady Day). Stars of a certain age were also honored: 59-year-old George Clooney was named … Directed by Lee Daniels. It's unfortunate, too, given the nature of the subject matter and empathy such material should seek to generate. This weekend The United States vs. Billie Holiday premiered on Hulu. Such is the case with The United States vs. Billie Holiday. ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’ Review: Scattered but Scorching, and a Must-See for Andra Day’s Performance Reviewed online, Feb. 15, 2021. Despite fine performances by Andra Day and Trevante Rhodes, director Lee Daniels's attempt at depicting the troubled life of jazz singer Billie Holiday becomes bogged down by a repetitive narrative and an unfocused screenplay that never quite finds its footing in a sea of competing story. “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” (directed by Lee Daniels) is the more sexually explicit, more realistic version of her life, compared to director Sidney J. Furie’s “Lady Sings the Blues” (starring Diana Ross as Holiday), which presented Holiday’s life as more of a … There was no tension, no reason to be invested in any of these characters except Billie Holiday, and that was fully due to Andra Day. The website's critics consensus reads: "Although The United States vs. Billie Holiday often falls shy of its subject's transcendence, Andra Day's performance offers brilliant compensation. [5], The film was released on February 26, 2021. [4], Filming began on October 6, 2019 in Montreal. Long story short... I’m now obsessed with Billie Holiday. The film/camera techniques utilized make you feel the pain, tension and horror of the era. An icon like Billie Holiday truly deserves better than this. “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” falls apart pretty quickly and in nearly every aspect of filmmaking. Viewers can watch the brilliant musical talent Andra Day take center stage as she crosses over into the world of film acting. [14], David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Day mesmerizes even when Lee Daniels' unwieldy bio-drama careens all over the map with stylistic inconsistency and narrative dysfunction, settling for episodic electricity in the absence of a robust connective thread. THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY looks at the latter part of the acclaimed jazz singer’s life. Related Stories. "[13] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The United States vs. Billie Holiday. After opening with an archival photograph of a white mob standing over the burnt body of a lynching victim, the film transitions to Holiday’s 1957 radio interview with journalist Reginald Lord Devine (Leslie Jordan). https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_United_States_vs._Billie_Holiday&oldid=1012266741, Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe-winning performance, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 March 2021, at 13:58. [7] It was originally scheduled to be released on February 12, 2021,[8][9] but in November 2020, it was moved two weeks to February 26. Day mesmerizes even when Lee Daniels' unwieldy bio-drama careens all over the map with stylistic inconsistency and narrative dysfunction, settling for episodic electricity in the absence of a robust connective thread. "[15] Writing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman praised Day's performance and said, "In this sprawling, lacerating, but at times emotionally wayward biopic set during the last decade of Holiday's life, Day gives Billie a voice of pearly splendor that, over time, turns raspy and hard, and we see the same thing happening to Billie inside. Day again sonically impresses as Holiday, but there’s not much else to say. The power of “Billie Holiday” lies entirely in a full-soul performance by Andra Day, herself a fine jazz singer. ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’ Review: Scattered but Scorching, and a Must-See for Andra Day’s Performance Reviewed online, Feb. 15, 2021. But this film showcases what happens when a great performance ends up in an absolutely awful film. Structured to an unusual beat and often stuck in its own feedback loop, The United States…is a flawed film, much like its protagonist, but Day doesn’t set a foot wrong throughout, even as Daniels’ adoring camera traces her every breath in full close-up. Facebook. “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” (directed by Lee Daniels) is the more sexually explicit, more realistic version of her life, compared to director Sidney J. Furie’s “Lady Sings the Blues” (starring Diana Ross as Holiday), which presented Holiday’s life as more of a romantic … This is easily one of the more disappointing and shockingly ramshackle-feeling movies released on Hulu in a while. There are invented moments in The United States Vs. Billie Holiday that are actually charming. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 130 MIN. But the direction and storytelling are laborious, without the panache and incorrectness of earlier Daniels movies such as Precious (2008) and The Paperboy (2012). “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday” is a major showcase. © 2021 METACRITIC, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Andra Day won big at the 2021 Golden Globes, taking home the award for best actress for her film debut in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. The United States vs Billie Holiday - Hulu site. Facebook. Twitter. Initially set to be released by Paramount Pictures, the film was sold to Hulu in December 2020, and digitally released in the United States on February 26, 2021. The United States vs. Billie Holiday is available on VOD from March 2. The United States vs. Billie Holiday Costumes Honor History With Contemporary Prada Costume designer Paolo Nieddu delved into the Prada archives to recreate—and reimagine—some of … So The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a misfire, and what a shame, because Andra Day had it in her to be great in this. More From The United States vs. Billie Holiday. The movie just didn’t let her bring it out. While watching Daniels’ film about the late great “Strange Fruit” songstress, whose life was tormented by corrupt, racist officials in the FBI because of the anger her song aroused in others, I thought about One Night in Miami and the reluctance of another singer, Sam … Like Ma Rainey, Holiday was bisexual; Holiday had … A film that is less a memoir of the blues icon’s battles with the law and substance addiction and more of a highlights reel of the events. Who knows if they had a thing....this film was splintering off in every direction imaginable, and it never found its center. The trial is the focus of Hulu's The United States vs. Billie Holiday, starring Andra Day in the titular role. Billie Holiday knew how to rise above Billie Holiday was a true original. The United States vs. Billie Holiday, 2021. Hulu reported the film was the most-watched title over its first three days of release, with Samba TV estimating that 287,000 U.S. households watched the film. It also serves as a reminder that our openly racist past is so recent and palpable that it is no wonder we are still struggling with racism and racial inequities today. A film that is less a memoir of the blues icon’s battles with the law and substance addiction and more of a highlights reel of the events. The United States vs. Billie Holiday received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Day's performance but criticized the direction and screenplay as unfocused. [6] In July 2020, Paramount Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film. (or any superstar’s life) This film drops you right into the pre civil rights era where racism and abuses were the norm and right into the tragic life of Holiday. These include the backstage sequences with Holiday’s girl support, Roslyn ( Da'Vine Joy Randolph ), and the cross-dressing stylist Miss Freddy ( Miss Lawrence ), where Daniels’ shows Holiday’s well-documented witty and bawdy side - the scrapper and not the figurehead or the victim. [12], Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 53% of 150 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.4/10.
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