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Currently Reading The United States vs. Billie Holiday Review: Scattered but Scorching, and a Must-See for Andra Day s Performance
Lee Daniels biopic showcases Billie Holiday as a searing political artist, persecuted for singing Strange Fruit.
Owen Gleiberman, provided by
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Director: Lee Daniels
With: Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, Leslie Jordan, Miss Lawrence, Adriane Lenox, Rob Morgan, Natasha Lyonne, Da’vine Joy Randolph, Tone Bell, Evan Ross, Tyler James Williams, Blake DeLong, Dana Gourrier, Melvin Gregg.
The gifted and mercurial Lee Daniels, director of “Precious,” is one of the only filmmakers I can think of who would dare to drop a badass-diva moment of Billie Holiday violently slapping her spouse into the middle of an otherwise giddy celebrity-singer-on-tour montage. In Daniels’ “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” Billie, played with glamorous, blowsy, dagger-eyed force by Andra Day, has had
Giddy diva worship.
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2/26/2021
Andra Day burns up the screen in her first leading role in Lee Daniels bio-drama chronicling the FBI s unabated persecution of the immortal jazz singer.
In an uncanny instance of art mirroring life, two major Hollywood movies will premiere just weeks apart, both of which depict relentless campaigns by American government intelligence agencies to silence influential Black voices. They follow closely after an impeachment trial in which the majority of GOP senators showed their complicity in violence from white supremacist groups by voting to acquit the Instigator in Chief. That packs scalding heat into the simultaneous arrival of
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Andra Day and Billie Holiday (YouTube/Getty Images)
A month after a documentary on legendary Jazz singer Billie Holiday titled âBillieâ was released, a brand new movie on the jazz icon is already here to enthrall you with a new plot. The movie titled âThe United States vs. Billie Holidayâ will focus on the personal and professional life of the singer.
The official Twitter account of the movie also shared a short video snippet. They captioned the post: âHer voice would not be silenced. Experience @AndraDayMusic as Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, directed by @leedanielsent. Premieres February 26, only on @hulu. #USvsBillieHoliday.â