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The United States vs. Billie Holiday#Reception

{{Short description|2021 film by Lee Daniels}}

{{Use American English|date=December 2023}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}

{{Infobox film

| image = The United States vs Billie Holliday.jpg

| caption = Release poster

| director = Lee Daniels

| producer = {{Plainlist|

}}

| screenplay = Suzan-Lori Parks

| based_on = {{based on|Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs|Johann Hari}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Kris Bowers

| cinematography = Andrew Dunn

| editing = Jay Rabinowitz

| studio = {{Plainlist|

}}

| distributor = Hulu

| released = {{Film date|2021|2|26|United States}}

| runtime = 130 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a 2021 American biographical drama film about singer Billie Holiday, based on the book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari. Directed by Lee Daniels, the film stars Andra Day in the title role, along with Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, Leslie Jordan (in his final film appearance), Miss Lawrence, Adriane Lenox, Natasha Lyonne, Rob Morgan, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Evan Ross, and Tyler James Williams.

Initially set to be released theatrically in the United States by Paramount Pictures, the film was sold to Hulu in December 2020 and digitally released in the United States on February 26, 2021. The United States vs. Billie Holiday received mixed reviews from critics; while Day's performance was praised, the direction and screenplay were criticized as unfocused. For her performance, Day was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. The film was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song ("Tigress and Tweed") and the soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, for Andra Day, Salaam Remi, and Lynn Fainchtein.

Plot

In 1957, Billie Holiday meets with a radio journalist, Reginald Lord Devine, for an interview. He asks her what it is like to be a "colored woman" and about the trouble she keeps getting into because of her hit song "Strange Fruit". Billie states that the lyrics are about human rights, something the government often forgets.

In 1947, Billie's husband Monroe and her manager, Joe Glaser, try to get Billie to cut "Strange Fruit" from her set list, fearing legal problems if they continue to perform something so controversial. Lester Young, Billie's sax player and longtime confidant, supports her in playing it.

In the 1940s, FBN chief Harry J. Anslinger declares Billie to be the top priority for his agents, as she is considered to be politically threatening due to the nature of her songs. Unable to arrest her for singing, they decide to go after her on drug charges. After Billie's next show, Agent Jimmy Fletcher, disguised as a soldier, witnesses her doing drugs. The FBI arrest Billie and her lover Joe Guy for drug use and possession. The judge sentences Billie to a year in jail after Guy, bribed by Anslinger, testifies against her.

Anslinger assigns Jimmy to visit Billie in prison, confident that he can get her to incriminate herself on further charges that will lead to a longer sentence. Instead, Jimmy (who has become convinced that Billie is being wrongfully persecuted) tells her to not trust anyone and keep her nose clean, lest the government find another way to destroy her.

After Billie is released from prison, she does a Carnegie Hall show, where she regretfully declines an audience member's request to sing "Strange Fruit". She is then introduced to promoter John Levy, who says he can pay off certain people to ensure she can keep performing. They begin a relationship, but when Levy is threatened with prosecution for allowing drug deals in his clubs, he betrays Billie by planting drugs on her person just as Anslinger's men burst in. In court, Fletcher admits under cross-examination that Billie was possibly framed, and she is freed. Anslinger again orders Fletcher to follow Billie on tour, pretending that he is leaving the Bureau.

In 1949, Jimmy comes to see Billie after a successful tour stop and reveals his deception. Suspicious, the whole crew has Jimmy do heroin to show he can be trusted. Over the course of the tour, Jimmy and Billie fall in love. One day, after the bus breaks down, Billie breaks up with Jimmy and sends him away, feeling that he deserves a nice girl, which she can never be. Jimmy then learns that Anslinger has fired him for using drugs on duty.

Billie marries Louis McKay, but eventually leaves him for Jimmy. In 1959, a now middle-aged Billie is dying in a hospital room from liver failure after decades of alcohol abuse. Anslinger visits her one last time, offering to erase her criminal record if she furnishes the names of other drug-using acquaintances. Billie mockingly replies that his grandkids will be singing "Strange Fruit" one day.

Cast

{{cast listing|

}}

Production

Development on a new Billie Holiday biopic was announced in September 2019, with Lee Daniels directing. Andra Day was set to play the title role, with Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund and Natasha Lyonne also cast.{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/lee-daniels-sets-cast-for-the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-with-andra-day-trevante-rhodes-garrett-hedlund-natasha-lyonne-1202736515/ |title=Lee Daniels Sets Cast For 'The United States Vs. Billie Holiday' With Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund & Natasha Lyonne |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=September 17, 2019 |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=October 27, 2019 |archive-date=September 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922202840/https://deadline.com/2019/09/lee-daniels-sets-cast-for-the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-with-andra-day-trevante-rhodes-garrett-hedlund-natasha-lyonne-1202736515/ |url-status=live }} Evan Ross, Dana Gourrier and Erik LaRay Harvey were also added later that month.{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/evan-ross-dana-gourrier-erik-laray-harvey-lee-daniels-the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-1202744527/ |title=Evan Ross, Dana Gourrier, Erik Laray Harvey Join Lee Daniels' 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday' |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=September 25, 2019 |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=October 27, 2019 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925175621/https://deadline.com/2019/09/evan-ross-dana-gourrier-erik-laray-harvey-lee-daniels-the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-1202744527/ |url-status=live }} Additional casting was announced in October.{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2019/10/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-melvin-gregg-miss-lawrence-1202750512/ |title='The United States vs. Billie Holiday' Adds 'American Vandal' & 'Snowfall' Actor Melvin Gregg & Miss Lawrence |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=October 2, 2019 |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=October 27, 2019 |archive-date=October 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004033456/https://deadline.com/2019/10/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-melvin-gregg-miss-lawrence-1202750512/ |url-status=live }} Daniels was hesitant to cast Day, owing to her limited acting experience, but became convinced after her acting coach sent him a clip of her performing.{{cite news |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/united-states-vs-billie-holiday |title= In 'The United States vs Billie Holiday,' Lee Daniels Tackles the Untold Story of the Jazz Singer's Civil Rights Activism |last= Keegan |first= Rebecca |date= January 11, 2021 |work= The Hollywood Reporter |access-date= February 19, 2021 |archive-date= February 20, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210220013700/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/united-states-vs-billie-holiday |url-status= live }}

Filming began on October 6, 2019, in Montreal.{{cite web |url=https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/andra-day-in-montreal-to-star-in-billie-holiday-biopic-1.9965658 |title=Andra Day In Montreal To Star In Billie Holiday Biopic |last=Kennedy |first=John R. |date=September 16, 2019 |website=iHeartRadio |access-date=October 27, 2019 |archive-date=October 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002212737/https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/andra-day-in-montreal-to-star-in-billie-holiday-biopic-1.9965658 |url-status=live }}

Andra Day stated that she went through intensive preparation for her role; in addition to shedding over 40 pounds to match Billie's physique, she also had to smoke cigarettes and drink to develop a similar vocal tone and to get in the mindset of someone gripped by a lifetime of addiction.{{cite web |title=Andra Day Lost 39 Pounds, Started Smoking & Drinking for Portrayal of Billie Holiday |work=eurweb.com |date=28 January 2021 |url=https://eurweb.com/2021/01/28/andra-day-lost-39-pounds-started-smoking-drinking-for-portrayal-of-billie-holiday/ |access-date=12 February 2022 }}

= Music =

{{Main|The United States vs. Billie Holiday (soundtrack)}}

Release

The film was released on February 26, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2021/01/united-states-vs-billie-holiday-trailer-lee-daniels-biopic-1234599849/|title='United States vs. Billie Holiday' Trailer: Andra Day Makes Her Movie Star Debut in Lee Daniels' Biopic|website=IndieWire|first=Ryan|last=Lattanzio|date=January 11, 2021|access-date=January 11, 2021|archive-date=January 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111202032/https://www.indiewire.com/2021/01/united-states-vs-billie-holiday-trailer-lee-daniels-biopic-1234599849/|url-status=live}} In July 2020, Paramount Pictures reportedly acquired distribution rights to the film in a bidding war at the Marché du Film which also included Focus Features, Sony Pictures and 101 Studios.{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/billie-holiday-movie-paramount-wins-north-american-rights-lee-daniels-directed-the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-1202975751/ |title=Paramount Prevails In Auction For Lee Daniels-Directed 'The United States Vs. Billie Holiday:' Virtual Cannes |date=2 July 2020 |access-date=2020-07-02 |archive-date=2020-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702032523/https://deadline.com/2020/07/billie-holiday-movie-paramount-wins-north-american-rights-lee-daniels-directed-the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-1202975751/ |url-status=live }} It was originally scheduled to be released on February 12, 2021,{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/scream-relaunch-eyes-2022-release-snake-eyes-rolls-to-2021-more-paramount-release-date-changes-1203026483/|title='Scream' Relaunch Eyes 2022 Release, 'Snake Eyes' Rolls To 2021 & More – Paramount Release Date Changes|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|date=August 28, 2020|access-date=August 28, 2020|archive-date=August 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200829085149/https://deadline.com/2020/08/scream-relaunch-eyes-2022-release-snake-eyes-rolls-to-2021-more-paramount-release-date-changes-1203026483/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/paramount-pictures-movie-release-dates-set-for-2021-and-2022/ |title=Paramount Sets Release Dates for 'Snake Eyes', New 'Scream' and 'Paranormal Activity' Movies & More |website=/Film |first=Ethan |last=Anderton |date=August 29, 2020 |access-date=November 23, 2020 |archive-date=September 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904094730/https://www.slashfilm.com/paramount-pictures-movie-release-dates-set-for-2021-and-2022/ |url-status=live }} but in November 2020, it was moved two weeks to February 26.{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/paramount-pictures-takes-michael-b-jordan-pic-without-remorse-micronauts-off-2021-release-calendar |title=Paramount Pictures Takes Michael B. Jordan Pic 'Without Remorse,' 'Micronauts' Off 2021 Release Calendar |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=14 November 2020 |access-date=2020-11-15 |archive-date=2020-11-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114231526/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/paramount-pictures-takes-michael-b-jordan-pic-without-remorse-micronauts-off-2021-release-calendar |url-status=live }} Ultimately, in December 2020, Hulu acquired North American distribution rights to the film from New Slate Ventures; Paramount's deal for rights to the film apparently never closed despite the studio preparing advertisements and overseeing reshoots for it.{{cite web|title=Hulu Buys Lee Daniels' 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday'|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/hulu-lee-daniels-the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-1234874926/|last=Lang|first=Brent|work=Variety|date=December 24, 2020|access-date=December 25, 2020|archive-date=December 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224235439/https://variety.com/2020/film/news/hulu-lee-daniels-the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-1234874926/|url-status=live}}

Reception

= Audience viewership =

Hulu reported the film was the most-watched title over its first three days of release, with Samba TV estimating that 287,000 U.S. households watched the film.{{cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=March 2, 2021|url= https://deadline.com/2021/03/hulu-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-weekend-viewership-1234705203/ |title= Hulu's 'The United States Vs. Billie Holiday' Tops Streamer's Weekend Movies Amid Star Andra Day's Golden Globes Win |website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=March 2, 2021}}

=Critical response=

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 55% of 185 critic reviews were positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Although The United States vs. Billie Holiday often falls shy of its subject's transcendence, Andra Day's performance offers brilliant compensation."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_united_states_vs_billie_holiday|title=The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=November 6, 2022|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215233509/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_united_states_vs_billie_holiday|url-status=live}} On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday|title=The United States vs. Billie Holiday Reviews|website=Metacritic|access-date=March 29, 2021|archive-date=February 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221231515/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday|url-status=live}}

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Day 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."{{cite web|last=Rooney|first=David|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-film-review|title='The United States vs Billie Holiday': Film Review|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 19, 2021|access-date=February 19, 2021|archive-date=February 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219170359/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-film-review|url-status=live}} Reviewing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman praised Day's performance and said, "In this sprawling, lacerating, but at times emotionally wayward biopic set during the last decade of Holiday's life, Day gives Billie a voice of pearly splendor that, over time, turns raspy and hard, and we see the same thing happening to Billie inside."{{Cite web|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|date=February 19, 2021|title='The United States vs. Billie Holiday' Review: Scattered but Scorching, and a Must-See for Andra Day's Performance|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-review-andra-day-lee-daniels-1234908289/|access-date=February 19, 2021|work=Variety|archive-date=February 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219170240/https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-review-andra-day-lee-daniels-1234908289/|url-status=live}}

For Deadline Hollywood, Pete Hammond wrote, "You simply cannot say enough about what Day achieves in this role, particularly being a first-time actor. She gets beneath the skin of Holiday, giving a raw and honest portrait of an artist under duress but determined in her belief that she can use that art and talent to make the world a more just place."{{Cite news |url= https://deadline.com/video/united-states-vs-billie-holiday-review-andra-day-lee-daniels/ |title= 'The United States Vs. Billie Holiday' Review: Andra Day Soars In Lee Daniels' Compelling True Story Of Feds Targeting Of Great Singer |work= Deadline Hollywood |first= Pete |last= Hammond |date= February 19, 2021 |access-date= February 22, 2021 |archive-date= February 20, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210220022554/https://deadline.com/video/united-states-vs-billie-holiday-review-andra-day-lee-daniels/ |url-status= live }} Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, detailing, "Day's rendition is heartfelt. But the direction and storytelling are laborious, without the panache and incorrectness of earlier Daniels movies such as Precious (2009) and The Paperboy (2012). A cloud of solemnity and reverence hangs over it, briefly dispelled by the music itself."{{cite news|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|date=February 19, 2021|title=The United States vs Billie Holiday review – Lee Daniels' misguided biopic|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/feb/19/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-review-lee-daniels-misguided-biopic|access-date=February 19, 2021|archive-date=February 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219170617/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/feb/19/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-review-lee-daniels-misguided-biopic|url-status=live}} DiscussingFilm also praised Day in their 3/5 review, saying that her work is the only memorable aspect in an otherwise forgettable, muddled film.{{cite web |last1=Wade |first1=A. Felicia |title='The United States vs. Billie Holiday' Review – Andra Day Shines in a Muddled Mess |url=https://discussingfilm.net/2021/02/26/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-review-andra-day-shines-in-a-muddled-mess/ |website=DiscussingFilm |date=26 February 2021 |access-date=March 5, 2021}}

Several jazz critics and musicians have had negative reactions to the film for its rewriting of history. Writing in JazzTimes, historian and musician Lewis Porter critiqued the ahistorical premise of the film:

In Lee Daniels’ film The United States vs. Billie Holiday, the words “Earle Theater, Philadelphia, May 27, 1947” flash onscreen, and one sees a row of policemen, with Holiday’s manager Joe Glaser standing at the center of them. Billie comes onstage and sings the first words of “Strange Fruit,” solo. Immediately, Glaser orders the police, “Get her off that stage!” and they storm forward.

But wait! Holiday was not at the Earle Theater on that date. She never sang “Strange Fruit” as the first number in a set, and never sang that or anything else a cappella . . . Most significant, never in her entire career was Billie stopped while performing “Strange Fruit.” Yes, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics pursued Holiday for her drug use. But there was no federal objection to the song “Strange Fruit,” nor was there any campaign to suppress it.

If you believed this film—and so far as I can tell, almost everyone did, even the many critics who rightly panned it—you have been the victim of one of the worst instances of rewriting history in the annals of Hollywood. Even the usual spate of articles about “what's true in this based-on-fact movie” missed the boat. The Los Angeles Times stated that “[a]lthough some details of the relationships have been fictionalized ..., the ... conspiracies are well documented.” Documented where exactly? In the movie, and nowhere else.{{Cite web|last=Porter|first=Lewis|title=The United States vs. Billie Holiday vs. the Truth|url=https://jazztimes.com/features/profiles/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-vs-the-truth/|access-date=2021-07-27|website=JazzTimes|language=en-US}}

In their Jazz United podcast on WBGO, critic Nate Chinen and musician and radio host Greg Bryant, too, objected to the film's false premises, but also its let down to the jazz community for its inauthenticity and "exploitative nature", saying, for example "its the attempt to co-opt the name to sell films, what we have again what we have is the image of jazz, of black American music, whatever you call it, being used to promote certain stereotypes not only about the music, but the players, the people, who gave their lives to embody it."{{Cite web|title=Miss Holiday to You: Jazz United Weighs In on 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday' and 'Billie'|url=https://www.wbgo.org/podcast/jazz-united-a-podcast-from-wbgo/2021-02-26/miss-holiday-to-you-jazz-united-weighs-in-on-the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-and-billie|access-date=2021-07-27|website=WBGO|language=en}}

=Accolades=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
scope="col"| Award

! scope="col"| Date of ceremony

! scope="col"| Category

! scope="col"| Recipient(s)

! scope="col"| Result

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|References}}

rowspan="3"| AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards

| rowspan="3"| March 28, 2021

| Best Movie for Grownups

| The United States vs. Billie Holiday

| {{won}}

| rowspan="3" align="center"| {{cite web|last=Haring|first=Bruce|date=February 8, 2021|title=AARP The Magazine Sets Movies For Grownups Nominees, Adds TV Categories|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/aarp-movies-for-grownups-awards-nominations-list-1234689045/|access-date=February 8, 2021|website=Deadline|archive-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208221126/https://deadline.com/2021/02/aarp-movies-for-grownups-awards-nominations-list-1234689045/|url-status=live}}

Best Director

| Lee Daniels

| {{nom}}

Best Time Capsule

| The United States vs. Billie Holiday

| {{nom}}

Academy Awards

| April 25, 2021

| Best Actress

| Andra Day

| {{nom}}

| align="center"| {{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/15/the-full-list-of-2021-oscar-nominations|title= The full list of 2021 Oscar nominations|date=15 March 2021|work=Guardian|access-date= 15 March 2021}}

rowspan="2"| African-American Film Critics Association Awards

| rowspan="2"| April 7, 2021

| Best Picture

| The United States vs. Billie Holiday

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="2" align="center"| {{Cite web|title=AAFCA AWARDS|url=https://aafca.com/aafca-awards/|date=April 7, 2021|publisher=African-American Film Critics Association}}

Best Actress

| Andra Day

| {{won}}

rowspan="2"| BET Awards

| rowspan="2"| June 27, 2021

| Best Movie

| The United States vs. Billie Holiday

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="2" align="center"| {{Cite web|date=2021-05-27|title=BET Awards Unveil 2021 Nominees List, Led By Megan Thee Stallion And DaBaby|url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/bet-awards-2021-nominees-list-megan-thee-stallion-dababy-seven-nominations-1234765106/|access-date=2021-05-27|website=Deadline}}

Best Actress

| rowspan="3"| Andra Day

| {{won}}

rowspan="4"| Black Reel Awards

| rowspan="4"| April 11, 2021

| Outstanding Actress

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="4" align="center"| {{Cite web|last=Amanda N'Duka|date=2021-02-18|title='One Night in Miami', 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Lead Nominations For 21st Annual Black Reel Awards|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/one-night-in-miami-judas-and-the-black-messiah-nominations-21st-annual-black-reel-awards-1234696267/|access-date=2021-03-07|website=Deadline}}

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female

| {{won}}

Outstanding Costume Design

| Paolo Nieddu

| {{nom}}

Outstanding Original Song

| "Tigress & Tweed" – Andra Day & Raphael Saadiq

| {{nom}}

rowspan="3"| Critics’ Choice Movie Awards

| rowspan="3"| March 7, 2021

| Best Actress

| Andra Day

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="3" align="center"| {{cite web|last=Davis|first=Clayton|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/awards/critics-choice-nominations-2021-mank-netflix-1234902895/|title=Critics Choice Awards: 'Mank' Leads With 12 Nominations, Netflix Makes History With Four Best Picture Nominees|access-date=February 8, 2021|date=February 8, 2021|work=Variety|archive-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208211947/https://variety.com/2021/film/awards/critics-choice-nominations-2021-mank-netflix-1234902895/|url-status=live}}

Best Hair and Makeup

| The United States vs. Billie Holiday

| {{nom}}

Best Song

| "Tigress & Tweed" – Andra Day & Raphael Saadiq

| {{nom}}

Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards

| February 10, 2021

| Best Actress

| rowspan="2"| Andra Day

| {{draw|5th Place}}

| align="center"| {{cite web|title=Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards 2020 Winners|date=10 February 2021 |url=http://dfwcritics.com/dfw-film-critics-name-nomadland-best-picture-of-2020/|access-date=February 10, 2021|archive-date=February 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210140343/https://dfwcritics.com/dfw-film-critics-name-nomadland-best-picture-of-2020/|url-status=live}}

rowspan="2"| Golden Globe Awards

| rowspan="2"| February 28, 2021

| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

| {{won}}

| rowspan="2" align="center"| {{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/2021-golden-globes-nominations-list-nominees-1234896457/|title=Golden Globes 2021: The Complete Nominations List|last1=Oganesyan|first1=Natalie|last2=Moreau|first2=Jordan|date=February 3, 2021|website=Variety|access-date=February 3, 2021|archive-date=February 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203182501/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/2021-golden-globes-nominations-list-nominees-1234896457/|url-status=live}}

Best Original Song

| "Tigress & Tweed" – Andra Day & Raphael Saadiq

| {{nom}}

Grammy Awards

| April 3, 2022

| Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

| The United States vs. Billie Holiday

| {{won}}

| align="center"| {{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2022-grammys-complete-winners-nominees-nominations-list|title=2022 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Nominations List|date=November 23, 2021|website=Grammy Awards|access-date=November 23, 2021}}

rowspan="2"| Hollywood Music in Media Awards

| rowspan="2"| January 27, 2021

| Best Original Song in a Feature Film

| "Tigress & Tweed" – Andra Day & Raphael Saadiq

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="2" align="center"| {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/awards/9517388/diane-warren-james-newton-howard-winners-2021-hollywood-music-in-media-awards/|title=Diane Warren & James Newton Howard Among Top Winners at 2021 Hollywood Music in Media Awards|date=January 27, 2021|access-date=January 28, 2021|magazine=Billboard|first=Paul|last=Grein}}

Best Music Supervision – Film

| Lynn Fainchtein

| {{nom}}

Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards

| April 3, 2021

| Best Special Make-Up Effects in a Feature-Length Motion Picture

| Adrien Morot

| {{nom}}

| align="center"| {{cite web|last=Giardina|first=Carolyn|date=2021-02-18|title='Bill & Ted Face the Music' Leads Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards Nominations|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/make-up-artists-and-hair-stylists-guild-awards-nominations-announced|access-date=2021-02-25|website=The Hollywood Reporter}}

rowspan="3"| NAACP Image Awards

| rowspan="3"| February 26, 2022

| Outstanding Motion Picture

|The United States vs. Billie Holiday

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="3" align="center"|{{Cite web|last=Spivey|first=Kemberlie|date=2022-01-19|title=2022 NAACP Image Awards Nominations: The Full List|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kemberliespivey/2022/01/18/2022-naacp-image-awards-nominations-the-full-list/|access-date=2022-01-20|website=Forbes|language=en}}

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

| Andra Day

| {{nom}}

Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album

|The United States vs. Billie Holiday Soundtrack (Salaam Remi, Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq, Warren Felder)

| {{nom}}

Palm Springs International Film Festival

| February 11, 2021

| Breakthrough Performance Award

| Andra Day

| {{won}}

| align="center"| {{Cite web|title=Film Awards 2021 – Palm Springs International Film Festival|url=https://www.psfilmfest.org/events/events-calendar/film-awards-x10552|date=February 2021|publisher=Palm Springs International Film Society}}

rowspan="3"| Women Film Critics Circle Awards

| rowspan="3"| March 7, 2021

| Best Woman Storyteller

| Suzan-Lori Parks

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="3" align="center"| {{Cite web|title=Women Film Critics Circle Awards announced|url=https://www.cautionspoilers.com/awards/women-film-critics-circle-awards-announced/|date=March 10, 2021|publisher=Caution Spoilers}}

Best Actress

| Andra Day

| {{nom}}

Karen Morley Award

| The United States vs. Billie Holiday

| {{won}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{IMDb title}}
  • [https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/united-states-vs-billie-holiday/ The United States vs. Billie Holiday] at History vs. Hollywood
  • [https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/USvsBH-MASTER-SCRIPT-111920Hulu-converted4.pdf Official screenplay]

{{Billie Holiday}}

{{Lee Daniels}}

{{Hulu}}

{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Movie for Grownups}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:United States vs Billie Holiday, The}}

Category:2021 biographical drama films

Category:2020s American films

Category:2020s English-language films

Category:African-American biographical dramas

Category:American biographical drama films

Category:Biographical films about singers

Category:Cultural depictions of Billie Holiday

Category:Cultural depictions of Joseph McCarthy

Category:Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Category:Films about heroin addiction

Category:Films directed by Lee Daniels

Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe–winning performance

Category:Films scored by Kris Bowers

Category:Films set in the 1940s

Category:Films set in the 1950s

Category:Films set in New York City

Category:Films shot in Montreal

Category:Films with screenplays by Suzan-Lori Parks

Category:Hulu original films

Category:English-language biographical drama films