Despite that earlier biography and a recent documentary, "Billie," two other movies come to mind that complement the key elements of this one: Day, an accomplished singer and songwriter, gives Zellweger a run for her award-winning money, spectacularly capturing Holiday's voice and phrasing, as well as the gradual toll that drug abuse took on her. Directed by Lee Daniels, the film stars Andra Day in the titular role, along with Trevante Rhodes, Natasha Lyonne and Garrett Hedlund. The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a 2021 American biographical film about singer Billie Holiday, based on the book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari.Directed by Lee Daniels, the film stars Andra Day in the titular role, along with Trevante Rhodes, Natasha Lyonne and Garrett Hedlund.. Movie Review: In The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Andra Day stars as the legendary singer who was pursued by the FBI both for her drug use … The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Initially set to be theatrically 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 film is based on the book "Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs."). Lee Daniels’ latest cinematic masterpiece is the cream of the crop among the senior set. The film is about t by Lia Beck vs. Billie Holiday'. If only the rest of the movie, directed by Lee Daniels ("Precious") from a script by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, were equal to its star. A ttempts are being made to both have and eat cake in Lee Daniels’ sometimes sumptuous, often laborious, occasionally nerve-tingling biopic, The United States vs Billie Holiday. The United States vs. Billie Holiday was a good movie! [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. UK supermarkets bin around 190 million meals each year. The United States Vs Billie Holiday released on February 26, 2021, on Hulu and among amazing reviews by audiences, the movie has also started bagging awards. The United States vs. Billie Holiday: What Really Happened The singer endured an exhausting legal battle with the FBI over drug usage and her song "Strange Fruit." “I did some pretty extreme things for the character,” she tells W Magazine in a video interview about her Golden Globe-nominated role in “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday”. [5], The film was released on February 26, 2021. Da'Vine stars as Roslyn in the Lee Daniels–directed biographical drama The United States vs. Billie Holiday, alongside Andra Day (Billie Holiday) and Trevante Rhodes (Jimmy Fletcher). Lee Daniels' The United States Vs Billie Holiday is the story of her martyrdom. "[16], For Deadline Hollywood, Pete Hammond wrote: "You simply cannot say enough about what Day achieves in this role, particularly being a first-time actor. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_United_States_vs._Billie_Holiday&oldid=1010519797, 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 5 March 2021, at 22:20. In the 1940s, the US government uses the massive stardom of Billie Holiday to take the war on drugs to a … [11], 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. 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday' Director Lee Daniels on the Singer's Real Legacy: Her Activism. [4], Filming began on October 6, 2019 in Montreal. critics consensus. The titular role of Holiday was played by Andra Day, with Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund and Natasha Lyonne also cast. There’s the minstrelized white interlocutor mediating the … [12], Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes determined that 56% of 126 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.4/10. "[18] DiscussingFilm also praises Andra Day in their 3/5 review, saying that it is the only memorable aspect in an otherwise forgettable, muddled film. In Lee Daniels’s Billie Holiday biopic “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” the singer’s trials and tribulations during the 1940s are reflected through the film’s clear main villain, Federal Bureau of Narcotics commissioner Harry J. Anslinger. The United States vs. Billie Holiday, 2021. Directed by Lee Daniels. The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. On the surface, The United States Vs.Billie Holiday is very much a paint-by-numbers historical account that leans heavily on flashbacks and film format manipulation. Andra Day (center) in 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday' (Takashi Seida). 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. Law enforcement's interest in Holiday stemmed primarily from her song "Strange Fruit," a haunting ballad about lynching in the South. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? Find out where you can buy, rent, or subscribe to a streaming service to watch The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) on-demand. Diana Ross, notably, was also nominated for "Lady" (Liza Minelli won that year for "Cabaret"), a testament in part to what a plum role Holiday's larger-than-life presence provides. With Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, Natasha Lyonne. Federal Bureau of Narcotics chief Harry Anslinger (Garrett Hedlund) saw Holiday's outspokenness as a threat and jazz in general as "the devil's work," seizing on anti-drug crusading as convenient cover to harass and imprison her. Although The United States vs. Billie Holiday often falls shy of its subject's transcendence, Andra Day's performance offers brilliant compensation. In the 1940’s, 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.” "[17] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, writing: "Day’s rendition is heartfelt. (CNN)Almost 50 years after "Lady Sings the Blues," "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" revisits the singer's career, through the lens of the feds hounding her. The sketchy nature of the drama elevates the music as "Billie Holiday's" standout feature, sometimes with action playing out in video snippets as Holiday (that is, Day) croons. The biopic was led by Andra Day in the titular role of Billie Holiday and the actor has received the Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globes 2021. "[13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Does Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Peacock, and 50+ streaming services have The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)? "[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. Find the cheapest option or how to watch with a free trial. United States vs Billie Holiday is based on Johann Hari's 2015 book, Chasing The Scream: The First And Last Days Of The War On Drugs. [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. [6] In July 2020, Paramount Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film. It's a mess, albeit an absorbing one, driven by a raw central performance of blistering indignation, both tough and vulnerable. She gets beneath the skin of Holiday, giving a raw and honest portrait of an artist under duress but determined in her belief that she can use that art and talent to make the world a more just place. [19], Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, "Lee Daniels Sets Cast For 'The United States Vs. Billie Holiday' With Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund & Natasha Lyonne", "Evan Ross, Dana Gourrier, Erik Laray Harvey Join Lee Daniels' 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday, "In 'The United States vs Billie Holiday,' Lee Daniels Tackles the Untold Story of the Jazz Singer's Civil Rights Activism", "Andra Day In Montreal To Star In Billie Holiday Biopic", "Paramount Prevails In Auction For Lee Daniels-Directed 'The United States Vs. Billie Holiday:' Virtual Cannes", "Paramount Sets Release Dates for 'Snake Eyes', New 'Scream' and 'Paranormal Activity' Movies & More", "Paramount Pictures Takes Michael B. Jordan Pic 'Without Remorse,' 'Micronauts' Off 2021 Release Calendar", "Hulu Buys Lee Daniels' 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday, "Hulu's 'The United States Vs. Billie Holiday' Tops Streamer's Weekend Movies Amid Star Andra Day's Golden Globes Win", "The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)", "The United States vs. Billie Holiday Reviews", "The United States vs Billie Holiday review – Lee Daniels' misguided biopic", "Critics Choice Awards: 'Mank' Leads With 12 Nominations, Netflix Makes History With Four Best Picture Nominees", "Golden Globes 2021: The Complete Nominations List", Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport, The Essential Billie Holiday: Carnegie Hall Concert Recorded Live, Lady in Autumn: The Best of the Verve Years, Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia 1933–1944. Instead, "Billie Holiday" employs an odd framing device with no clear purpose -- an interview with an impertinent fan (Leslie Jordan) -- bouncing around Holiday's biography, while largely focusing on her relationship with a Black undercover agent, Jimmy Fletcher ("Moonlight's" Trevante Rhodes), assigned to bring her down. In The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Trevante Rhodes plays the bad guy, the love interest, and the audience surrogate, all at once. In the 1940s, Billie Holiday is targeted by the government in an effort to racialize the war on drugs, ultimately aiming to stop her from singing her controversial song "Strange Fruit". Follows Holiday during her career as she is targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics with an undercover sting operation led by black Federal Agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she had a tumultuous affair. A cloud of solemnity and reverence hangs over it, briefly dispelled by the music itself. Billie Holiday spent much of her career being adored by fans. The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a 2021 American biographical film about singer Billie Holiday, based on the book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari. “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” has been named best film for AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards. Updated 9:16 AM ET, Fri February 26, 2021. The United States vs Billie Holiday review – Lee Daniels' misguided biopic Peter Bradshaw. As constructed, though, the film feels episodic, taking not-fully-explored detours to touch upon aspects of Holiday's life, in a way that ill serves a good supporting cast. The result is a disjointed, oddly structured movie, which derives its high notes from Andra Day's showstopping performance in the title role. Read critic reviews [10] In December 2020, Hulu acquired distribution rights to the film in the United States. [2] Additional casting was announced in October. Day has already garnered a Golden Globe nomination, and given the historic fondness for actors who do their own singing, Oscar recognition might not be far behind. The United States vs. Billie Holiday tells the very Googleable story of jazz singer Billie Holiday being hunted by the federal government in repeated attempts to … Those interludes include her romantic escapades with actress Tallulah Bankhead (Natasha Lyonne, in what amounts to a cameo) and various men who exploited and profited off her talents, usually without supporting her defiant courage in playing her most controversy-inducing song, the risk be damned. It certainly comes at Holiday’s story with an important and informative angle, but purely as a piece of entertainment, “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” disappoints. A star is born in Andra Day, the phenomenal lead of Lee Daniels’ ponderous and overlong musical biopic. Almost 50 years after "Lady Sings the Blues," "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" revisits the singer's career, through the lens of the feds hounding her. The fact that no anti-lynching laws have been passed yet is dispiriting but I’m not surprised. By Erica Gonzales Courtesy: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures. [1] Evan Ross, Dana Gourrier and Erik LaRay Harvey were added to the cast later that month. A fiery Lady Day in 'U.S. The United States vs. Billie Holiday received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Day's performance but criticized the direction and screenplay as unfocused. But the direction and storytelling are laborious, without the panache and incorrectness of earlier Daniels movies such as Precious (2008) and The Paperboy (2012). At the 78th Golden Globe Awards, it won Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (Day), and was also nominated for Best Original Song ("Tigress and Tweed"). 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). After her Golden Globe Best Actress win for her role in "The United States Vs. Billie Holiday", Andra Day shares with the backstage press what she loved most about shooting in Montreal. The United States vs. Billie Holiday falls into every formulaic trap of a Hollywood-sanctioned Black biopic. Development on a Billie Holiday biopic was announced in September 2019, with Lee Daniels directing. 19/02/2021. United States vs Billie Holiday … HULU'S new biographical film United States vs Billie Holiday is available now on the streaming service. [3] Daniels was hesitant on casting Day owing to her limited acting experience, but became convinced following an iPhone clip of her sent to him by her acting coach.