The United States vs Billie Holiday review: A sloppy, reductive take on the singer’s life
The IndependentGet our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In The United States vs Billie Holiday – a sloppy, reductive take on the singer’s life – the song is withheld from the audience for much of its runtime. The issues with ‘ The United States vs Billie Holiday’ are no more apparent than in the handling of Jimmy Fletcher and Billie Holiday’s relationship Day puts her all into investigating the idea. Jay Rabinowitz’s editing style – an erratic jumble of crossfades and montages of newspaper headlines – makes the film feel like a skim-read of Holiday’s life. But the issues with The United States vs Billie Holiday are no more apparent than in the handling of Jimmy Fletcher, an FBI agent known to have had a sexual relationship with the singer.
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