I’d put this in the middling biopic range. You see movies like this every year, and you can always tell they’re aiming for big Oscar success but usually just net a nomination or two for the impressive actors doing great work in a movie that doesn’t quite live up to the performances they’re giving (last year’s Judy would be an example of this type.) Andra Day’s central performance is wonderful, but the movie struggles to meet her and its interesting subject matter there.
As Billie Holiday grows notorious for her performances of “Strange Fruit,” a disturbingly-evocative anti-lynching song, the FBI becomes desperate to silence her. They’re insistent that her song is “inciting” unrest, but they can’t legally go after her for a song. So instead, they go after her for her drug addiction, haunting her life onstage and off in an attempt to rob her of the power of her voice.
Now see, that synopsis is fascinating to me. But I think the movie has a hard time following through on that premise. It often veers from that central idea into more generic biopic material – love, career, demons, meltdowns, etc. – in a way that feels unfocused, and the overall framing device doesn’t do much to enhance the narrative. The movie sets us up with an exploration of a very specific aspect of Holiday’s life and career, but then it tries to encompass so much outside of that aspect that we’re left with a somewhat scattershot narrative. This is a film where you can definitely feel its length.
Which is unfortunate, because there are a lot of really strong individual elements in here. The standard-issue “evil FBI racists scheme to harass a famous Black woman into the ground because they don’t like her opinions” scene is suitably despicable, the scenes of Billie and her band/entourage backstage or on the road create a good sense of their lives together, and there’s a strong confrontation between Billie and the limits of celebrity for a Black woman in mid-century America.
There are a number of good actors present here. I immediately recognized Trevante Rhodes, the oldest Chiron from Moonlight, as Jimmy Fletcher, a key figure in Billie’s life, and it was neat to see Natasha Lyonne (Megan from But I’m a Cheerleader!) pop up as Tallulah Bankhead, one of Billie’s lovers. Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who was great in Dolemite is My Name, appears as a member of Billie’s entourage, and I remember Rob Morgan from his excellent performance in Just Mercy. However, while a lot of talent was assembled for the film, these actors aren’t given a huge amount to do, and there’s a prevailing sense that they’re capable of more than their material.
All that said, Andra Day does a beautiful job as Billie and earns every inch of her Best Leading Actress nomination (the film’s only nod.) She clearly put a lot of work into recreating Billie’s voice, but the performance goes beyond skillful imitation, which is what I always look for in roles like this. I’m not just impressed by her mimicry – it’s how she captures the emotion and takes us on Billie’s journey. Even when the film struggles to keep up with her, she remains compelling. And after a lot of discussion and suspense around “Strange Fruit,” the moment when she finally sings it is just chilling.
Warnings
Sexual content, violence (including lynching and domestic abuse,) drinking/smoking/drug use, language (including racial slurs,) and strong thematic elements (including hate crimes.)
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