Skip or stream: ‘Truffle Hunters,’ ‘Tom & Jerry,’ ‘Billie Holiday,’ ‘Tiny Perfect Things’
Dana Barbuto
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Need something to do while repeatedly hitting refresh on the COVID-vaccination website? Try taking one of these new streaming flicks for a spin. They include a quirky documentary, a music biopic, a modern update to a beloved cartoon and a teen time-loop movie. Skip or stream? Read on and find out.
“THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY:” Andra Day’s Golden Globe-winning performance is the lone reason to check out director Lee Daniel’s chronicling of the FBI’s harassment of the legendary singer as she repeatedly battles her dependence on heroin. Day dazzles, oscillating between blues diva crooning standards like “All of Me” to smack junkie to civil rights activist. It’s a big ask and Day answers, but her great performance is stuck in a middling movie born of a muddled script by playwright Suzan-Lori Park culled from Johann Hari’s 2015 book, “Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs.” Butler (“Precious,” “The Butler”) certainly makes a provocative case against the feds (portrayed by Trevante Rhodes and Garrett Hedlund), but his film is all over the place. Lady Day is simply too complex for one movie to handle as she battles addiction, domestic abuse and racism. It all revolves around those G-men believing her music is “the devil’s work,” particularly her insistence on performing her anti-lynching tune “Strange Fruit.” If she continues to sing it, the FBI vows to nail her on drug charges and revoke her cabaret license. Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“Dolemite Is My Name”) stands out in support as Holiday’s loyal friend. But it’s Day, in her first major acting role, you can’t take your eyes off. (R for nudity, drug use, violent images and strong language). Streaming on Hulu. Grade B-