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The United States vs. Billie Holiday
The United States vs. Billie Holiday

6.6

The United States vs. Billie Holiday

R·2021·131m

Summary

Billie Holiday spent much of her career being adored by fans. In the 1940s, the government targeted Holiday in a growing effort to racialize the war on drugs, ultimately aiming to stop her from singing her controversial ballad, "Strange Fruit."

Cast

Andra Day

Andra Day

Billie Holiday

Trevante Rhodes

Trevante Rhodes

Jimmy Fletcher

Garrett Hedlund

Garrett Hedlund

Harry Anslinger

Leslie Jordan

Leslie Jordan

Reginald Lord Devine

Miss Lawrence

Miss Lawrence

Miss Freddy

Adriane Lenox

Adriane Lenox

Mrs. Fletcher

Natasha Lyonne

Natasha Lyonne

Tallulah Bankhead

Rob Morgan

Rob Morgan

Louis McKay

Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Roslyn

Evan Ross

Evan Ross

Agent Williams

Tyler James Williams

Tyler James Williams

Lester 'Prez' Young

Tone Bell

Tone Bell

John Levy

Blake DeLong

Blake DeLong

Agent Carter

Dana Gourrier

Dana Gourrier

Sadie

Melvin Gregg

Melvin Gregg

Joe Guy

Erik LaRay Harvey

Erik LaRay Harvey

James Monroe

Ray Shell

Ray Shell

Carl The Drummer

Dusan Dukic

Dusan Dukic

Joe Glaser

Koumba Ball

Koumba Ball

Lucille

Kate MacLellan

Kate MacLellan

Working Class Woman

Kwasi Songui

Kwasi Songui

Working Class Man

Letitia Brookes

Letitia Brookes

Velva

Warren 'Slim' Williams

Warren 'Slim' Williams

Bobby Tucker

Orville Thompson

Auditioning Sax Player

Jeff Corbett

Jeff Corbett

Congressman JP Thomas

Damian Joseph Quinn

Damian Joseph Quinn

Roy Cohn

Robert Alan Beuth

Robert Alan Beuth

Congressman J. Rankin

Randy Davison

Randy Davison

Senator J. McCarthy

Kevin Hanchard

Kevin Hanchard

Louis Armstrong

Jono Townsend

Guitar Player

Morgan Moore

Bass Player

Arlen John Bonnar

Priest

Furly Mac

Furly Mac

Elevator Attendant

Andrew Zadel

Agent McDermott

Tristan D. Lalla

Tristan D. Lalla

Mr. Jordon Green

Alex Bisping

Alex Bisping

Bailiff #1

Don Anderson

Don Anderson

Judge Ganey

Amanda Strawn

Gloria

Charleine Charles

Shirley

Sylvia Stewart

Sylvia Stewart

Stink-Eye Inmate

Daphné Archer

Jail Dishwasher

Anita Lee

Fighting Woman

Tony Chao

Fighting Man

Linda Sauvé

Receptionist

Alain Goulem

Alain Goulem

Ed Fishman

Ramona Clyke

Miss Mona

Laurent Beaudin

Ed Fishman's Assistant

Alika Autran

Alika Autran

Martha Anslinger

Kim Feeney

Kim Feeney

Lady In Audience

Diana Carmen Ratycz

Carnegie Fan

Richard Jutras

Richard Jutras

Uptown Restaurant Maître d'

Jonathan Higgins

Jonathan Higgins

Defense Lawyer Erlich

Marc Essertaize

Bailiff #2

Nealla Gordon

Nealla Gordon

Courthouse Reporter

Len Blavatnik

Len Blavatnik

Club Owner

Christopher Ricardo Price

Christopher Ricardo Price

Drug Dealer

Taryn Brown

Billie (10 years old)

Zuri Hawkins

Little Girl in Brothel

Elizabeth Eveillard

Elizabeth Eveillard

Prostitute 1923

Clauter Alexandre

Clauter Alexandre

Husband

Penande Estime

Penande Estime

Hanging Woman

Elikya Tupula

Young Daughter

Nefertari Zanyah Brewster-Griffith

Older Daughter

Joe Cobden

Joe Cobden

George Jessel

Ronda Louis-Jeune

Ronda Louis-Jeune

Jimmy's Girlfriend

Maxime Paradis

Maxime Paradis

Producer

Sarah Levesque

Sarah Levesque

Nurse

Donald Fullilove

Donald Fullilove

Additional Voices (voice)

Crew

Director

Lee Daniels

Book

Johann Hari

Screenplay

Suzan-Lori Parks

Reviews

m

msbreviews

February 22, 2021

3

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Even though I love listening to jazz, I've never been to a concert or a club specific to this type of music. Following this train of thought, I didn't know anything about Billie Holiday's real-life story and her tremendous impact not only in the respective musical genre but also in the fight against the government concerning the evil, shameful act of lynching - which shockingly still occurs today in some countries. Strange Fruit, a poem written by Abel Meeropol, became incredibly controversial due to its brutal lyrics describing the said act, comparing the victim to the fruit of trees. The adapted song has been referenced as the beginning of the civil rights movement, and Andra Day's performance is the standout of a quite disappointing film.

I just watched The Mauritanian - a movie "based on true events" - earlier this week, and I wrote in its review that I'm almost always captivated by the main story in this type of film, even if the rest doesn't quite hold up. The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a biographical movie inspired by the singer's life, but besides Day's powerful display and memorable music, I struggle to find any other positively relevant aspects. Daniel T. Dorrance's fabulous production design is hard to ignore, as is Kris Bowers' attention-grabbing score. However, these two rarely compensate for the jumbled editing (Jay Rabinowitz), untidy screenplay (Suzan-Lori Parks), and even Lee Daniels' erratic direction.

From the awkward, swift transitions to black-and-white and back to color to the lack of connection between cuts and even storylines, it's incredibly hard to feel captivated by such a visually confusing film. Suzan-Lori Parks' script enters a monotonous, repetitive cycle of depicting Billie Holiday heavily smoking and taking drugs, followed by singing a full song and having sex with a random man, all while trying countless times to stop her bad habits. On one hand, Billie Holiday is a strong, proud Black woman who's trying to fight for what's right through her beautiful singing voice and astonishing tenacity. On the other hand, the viewers have to endure numerous sequences of despicable behavior from someone who doesn't look like a good influence at all.

I understand that a protagonist doesn't have to be perfect, much on the contrary. Nevertheless, the narrative structure is so incoherent and raises so many moral questions regarding the true essence of the main character that I couldn't help but feel disengaged from her story. The only interesting moments are the musical performances which might be the only storytelling detail that works as a connecting point to what comes next or as a reference to what happened just before. Every other scene is seemingly detached from the next one, and Lee Daniels struggles to find the right path. The only storytelling component well-developed from beginning to end is the successful build-up to the performance of Strange Fruit.

In the end, Andra Day is the savior of what could have been a massive disaster. Her interpretation is one of the most impressive debut performances I've seen in the last few years. Ignoring her indisputably fantastic singing voice, Day shows a remarkable emotional range and a physical commitment to the role that not many actresses are capable of. She outshines every single element in the movie, including the remaining cast. Day is the only reason why I kept getting "dragged" to the screen. Sadly, one person isn't enough to overcome dozens of significant issues.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday could have been an inspirational, impactful story about Billie Holiday's influence not only in jazz music but mainly in the fight for equal civil rights. Instead, Lee Daniels' inconsistent direction and Suzan-Lori Parks' extremely messy screenplay are just two of many issues that transform this film into an absolute letdown. From the awful editing that detaches almost every storyline from each other to the questionable storytelling decisions regarding the repetitive, tiresome narrative structure, it becomes surprisingly difficult to fully support the protagonist's behavior. Neat production design and engaging score, but it's Andra Day's phenomenal debut performance that saves a potential trainwreck. Her music and acting display are the two key elements that keep the movie above water. I can't properly recommend it unless there's a personal interest in the main character's life.

Rating: D+

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Keywords

war on drugs
new orleans, louisiana
jazz singer or musician
ban from profession
biography
surveillance
heroin addiction
1940s
1950s
fbi agent