The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) on Netflix
In the 1940s, Billie Holiday refuses to drop "Strange Fruit" from her set. Unable to charge her for the song, federal agents go after her on drug charges.
- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb6.3/1015,842 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes56%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1957, Billie Holiday sits for an interview with radio journalist Reginald Lord Devine, who asks about the trouble her song "Strange Fruit" keeps bringing her. A decade earlier, her manager Joe Glaser and her husband Monroe both press her to cut the song from her set list, fearing legal trouble, while her saxophonist Lester Young backs her determination to sing it. Federal Bureau of Narcotics chief Harry J. Anslinger has made her his top priority, judging her politically threatening. His agents cannot arrest a singer for a song, so they decide to build a drug case instead. Agent Jimmy Fletcher, posing as a soldier, watches her use drugs after a show, and Billie and her lover Joe Guy are taken into custody.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Andra Day shed over 40 pounds to match Billie Holiday's physique and smoked cigarettes and drank to develop a similar vocal tone for the role in Lee Daniels' film.
- Lee Daniels hesitated to cast Andra Day as Billie Holiday because of her limited acting experience, but was convinced after her acting coach sent him a clip of her performing.
