Saturday, June 12, 2021

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)

IMDb plot summary: 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.
Directed by Lee Daniels. Starring Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, and Natasha Lyonne.

Andra Day carries this movie impressively, showing Holiday as a fully fleshed out complicated woman capable of both great generosity and great selfishness. It makes her story more engaging to watch than a lot of biopics. It's a sobering look at how far our government can be willing to go to avoid looking bad. The musical performances are great as well, particularly when we DO finally get to hear "Strange Fruit" in its entirety. This is worth a watch, especially if this is an era of history that's fairly unfamiliar to you as it was to me.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The United States vs. Billie Holiday > The Misfits
The United States vs. Billie Holiday < Dark Passage
The United States vs. Billie Holiday > Fantasia 2000
The United States vs. Billie Holiday < The Artist
The United States vs. Billie Holiday < Men in Black III
The United States vs. Billie Holiday > Pushing Tin
The United States vs. Billie Holiday < Ramona and Beezus
The United States vs. Billie Holiday > Quartet
The United States vs. Billie Holiday <  Marooned
The United States vs. Billie Holiday < The Killing of a Sacred Deer
The United States vs. Billie Holiday > Ballet Shoes
The United States vs. Billie Holiday < Lady Bird
Final spot: #1198 out of 3379, or 65%.

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