52
Metascore
43 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanThis is gripping stuff, to be sure, yet the movie, volatile as it is, lacks a full dramatic center and the momentum that would flow out of it.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIt’s a bio-pic that keeps its brilliant, sultry, complicated subject at arm’s length.
- 63Slant MagazineDan RubinsSlant MagazineDan RubinsThe film finds its purpose most pointedly when it zeroes in on the unambiguous relationship between Holiday and “Strange Fruit.”
- 63USA TodayBrian TruittUSA TodayBrian TruittEven with its imperfections, “Billie Holiday” tells a needed story and along the way introduces a bright new Hollywood star to watch.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyDay mesmerizes even when Lee Daniels' unwieldy bio-drama careens all over the map with stylistic inconsistency and narrative dysfunction, settling for episodic electricity in the absence of a robust connective thread. It's a mess, albeit an absorbing one, driven by a raw central performance of blistering indignation, both tough and vulnerable.
- 60Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzIt’s mostly a biography of Holiday — nothing wrong with that, certainly when you’ve got a performance as stunning as Andra Day’s in the title role.
- 58IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichMuch like “Precious” and the Daniels-produced “Monster’s Ball” before it, The United States vs. Billie Holiday is somehow overbaked and raw as a bone at the same time, at all times. And much like those previous films, this one swirls around an astonishingly real performance that centers everything around it like the eye of a storm
- 50The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyDay, who’s very good, moves through it with comfort and charisma. Her Billie Holiday is as much a star in the green room as she is onstage, faced with applause or the harsh bathroom-mirror reflection of abuse and addiction. But many of the other characters might as well be reading off of cue cards.
- 42The PlaylistValerie ComplexThe PlaylistValerie ComplexIt’s a mixed-at-best effort with a strong lead performance, but one that ultimately cannot honor the legendary song (or singer’s life) it takes most of its emotional and spiritual cues from.
- 40The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawDay’s rendition is heartfelt. But the direction and storytelling are laborious, without the panache and incorrectness of earlier Daniels movies such as Precious (2008) and The Paperboy (2012). A cloud of solemnity and reverence hangs over it, briefly dispelled by the music itself.