Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

utgard14 Sidney J. Furie directed this biographical film about Billie Holiday, starring Diana Ross (who also sings). Billy Dee Williams costars as her love interest and Richard Pryor has a supporting role as a friendly piano player. They're both good. Oh, and the grandpa from Charles in Charge is good, too. Corny at times but nowhere near as ridiculous as the other '70s Ross/Williams collaboration, Mahogany. The junkie scenes are the worst, due to Ross' limited abilities as an actress. Her singing is nice, though. It's based off of Holiday's autobiography which wasn't entirely truthful, so a lot of this is pure fiction. Despite its faults, it's an entertaining movie. If you're familiar with Diana Ross' other movies, you know she isn't the greatest actress. This is easily her best performance, flawed as it is.

RoslynSanchez This is botched in a hundred ways. Factual errors aren't the point - all biopics play with the truth for dramatic reasons, but the story here is inept. The story starts and ends nowhere, investing none of the events with significance. There's no sense of drama, no building of tension, no interesting characters, nothing but Diana Ross bumbling around the sets looking awkward and projecting little personality. How does one re-create a 1920's Harlem whorehouse and manage to make it look as interesting as a Motel 6?And the singing - there's no doubt Diana Ross has a voice, but she doesn't display the slightest connection with the material. No one could imitate Billie, but one would hope for some kind of interesting interpretation to help pull off the impersonation. But Ross phones in the tunes, with little feeling or style.Most of the other characters are cardboard, with Richard Pryor doing the weirdest role of his life as a timid, comical piano player.Absolutely unwatchable for anyone but die-hard Diana Ross fans, and for Billie Holiday lovers and movie buffs, sheer torture.

rooprect Before watching this I knew that it wouldn't be factually correct. I knew that Diana Ross would sing in her own style without trying to imitate the real Billie Holiday. And I knew that this film was hated & protested by Billie's real life associates and family. I watched it anyway expecting to enjoy it the same way I enjoyed Amadeus even though it stepped all over the real Mozart. I mean, c'mon people, if we want history we should go to a library, not a movie theatre.But with all that said I was still horribly put off by the lack of continuity with the spirit of Billie's life. For one thing, Diana's portrayal made Billie look like a blabbering halfwit. Even in the scenes where she's supposed to be stone cold sober she acts like a flake. If you've ever seen footage of the real Billie, you know that the real Lady was a tough, sharp, smart human being. You don't survive on the streets of New York by being an idiot the way she's shown to be in the film.Next, the performances were shown totally out of context. For example, the song "My Man" is a chilling song about spousal abuse, but in the movie they gloss it up to be a feel-good homage to her guardian angel of a husband Louis McKay. In real life, Louis was as abusive as all of her husbands (hence the song "My Man"). This is just one example of the many incorrect interpretations this movie presents of Billie's music and her life.OK, but like I said in my 1st paragraph, I can allow the director some poetic license if the movie is worthwhile. Unfortunately this movie didn't deliver. Instead of focusing on the true hardships and trials that plagued Ms. Holiday, we get a whole bunch of clichés about drug use, trying to make it in the business, and how you're supposed to be good to your friends. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be about Billie Holiday or if it was just an ABC afterschool special with clever packaging.The acting was good (if you choose to accept the idea of Billie Holiday being a weak minded flake), and there were several dramatic moments that were well staged. But here's my biggest gripe: the musical score KILLED this movie! It's supposed to be a 1940s jazz biopic, so why are we getting 70s "star search" orchestrations? You know, like the cheezy swelling violins and pseudo-disco drums when Ed McMahon reads the winner of the competition. Talk about an anachronism, to say nothing of the way it cheapens some otherwise powerful moments.Lastly, I have to say that fans of Billie's music will be pretty annoyed at Diana Ross's versions. They are two totally different singers. Billie sang in a lower register (except when hitting those high notes which she always did clean & clear WITHOUT vibrato) whereas Diana prefers theatrics in the upper register and doesn't go very low at all. This is really a movie for Diana Ross fans or for casual jazz listeners who have never heard of Billie Holiday. Like another reviewer suggested, if you're truly interested in Billie, you should buy some of her records or try to find some old films of her performances. Her music is the best biography you'll ever get.

yusef67 I never quite understood the backlash this movie has received over the years. It amazes me when people always seek perfection. This movie is not perfect. But lets applaud what it does provide. A dynamic debut performance by Diana Ross, a memorable supporting performance by a young Richard Pryor. Great music and score by Michel Legrand. Great wardrobe worn by Ross in this movie.Any good film is made up of a few really good scenes. I can easily count 5 or 6 excellent scenes in this movie. #1-opening scene where they put a straight jacket on Ross and through her in a padded cell. #2-When she first lays eyes on Billy Dee and is carried out of the nightclub. #3- The "Good morning Heartache" scene at her birthday party at the club #4-The scene where she attacks Billy Dee in the bathroom, because he won't give her her dope #5- When Piano man is beaten to death #6-When she gets the call that her mother died,while she was in the middle of getting a fix..I COULD go on. People who dismiss this film for being standard Hollywood fare are really not doing this film justice. There is really nothing standard about it. It depicted several stages of the life of Lady Day..And as we know her life was anything but standard fare...