Starring Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, and Leslie Jordan
Directed by Lee Daniels
Music and Lyrics by various
Lady Sings the Blues was far from the last movie to cover Billy Holiday's tumultuous life. This one is actually based on a book not about Holiday, but on the history of drug addiction in the US. Chasing the Scream goes into the history of anti-drug laws and their impact, which includes Holiday and her troubles with the law. How did this become the story of a woman hounded by the FBI supposedly for her heroin habit, but really because her civil rights beliefs upset the wrong government officials? Let's begin, not with Holiday, but with the discussing of an anti-lynching bill that didn't make it through Congress in 1937, and find out...
The Story: In 1957, shortly before her death, Billie tells the story of her involvement with the US government to reporter Reginald Lord Divine (Jordan). Flashback 10 years to 1947, when FBI agent Harry J. Anslinger (Hedlund) believes that Holiday's song "Strange Fruit," about the lynching of a black man in the south, is a threat. He gets Agent Jimmy Fletcher (Rhodes) to catch her doing drugs at one of her concerts and has her arrested.
After she gets out of prison, she has a sell-out appearance at Carnegie Hall before she's set up again, this time by her newest lover John Levy (Tone Bell). Fortunately, the courts side with her after Fletcher admits she was framed. Fletcher follows her on tour, but the others are suspicious and even get him to do drugs with them. He and Billie fall for each other, but she says Jimmy could do better and marries Louis McKay (Rob Morgan).
Neither the marriage nor the interview can do much for Billie. Anslinger continues to hound her, even when she's dying of liver failure in the hospital...but she reminds him that "Strange Fruit" and her performance will continue to live on record and in people's memories.
The Song and Dance: Singers looking to break into acting seem to do well with Billie Holiday. I'd never believe this was Day's first real dramatic role. She was incredible as Holiday, a searing ball of nerves even when the script is all over the place. Rhodes is nearly up to her as the man who loved her and regretted baiting her for the rest of his life. Look for R&B singer Miss Lawrence as Day's eye-patch-sporting friend Miss Freddy and Natasha Lyonne as Tallulah Bankhead. I love the historically accurate costumes and sets too, especially the stunning gowns and jewelry Day wears onstage.
Favorite Number: Our first number is the one that caused all the trouble, the anti-lynching song "Strange Fruit." Day sings it twice, at the concert that's disrupted by the FBI, and near the end of the film. Once she gets out of prison, we hear "I Cried for You" and "Solitude." "Tigress & Tweed" was one of two songs written for the film, and its break-out hit - it was nominated for a Golden Globe; the other is "Break Your Fall." "Tain't Nobody's Bizness" is also heard twice, when Day sings it on tour, and in a recording by Bessie Smith. We get a touching "Lover Man" at Carnegie Hall, and Holiday's own "Lady Sings the Blues" later on. The credits roll over an adorable performance of "All of Me" with Billie trying to teach Fletcher how to dance.
Trivia: Day's feature film debut. She said she lost 40 pounds and started drinking and smoking to get the role.
What I Don't Like: Once again, a lot of this was fabricated. Apparently, the government really did have more interest in Holiday's drug activities than in her civil rights activism, and Anslinger had no personal vendetta against her or "Strange Fruit." Her relationships with women are downplayed, but she did have lovers of both sexes, including Bankhead. She never did "Strange Fruit" as her first number, and the FBI never would have arrested her or anyone in the middle of a concert.
I'm more concerned about the unwieldy script. It wanders all over the place with no rhyme or reason, jumping back and forth between characters and time periods. Jordan's reporter character is annoying as an audience surrogate, and kind of unnecessary. Also, this and Lady Sings the Blues are very much for adults. There's a ton of swearing, violence, a heavy sex scene, and Day appears fully nude at one point to show off the scars from her addiction.
The Big Finale: Worth seeing for Day's searing performance and the music alone if you're a fan of Holiday and want more of the story after Lady Sings the Blues.
Home Media: At the moment, it's exclusive to Hulu.
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