>I swear I won’t call no copper
>If I’m beat up by my poppa
>Ain’t nobody’s business if I do

This complex and very problematic lyric is the essence of Billie Holiday and what was missing from _The United States vs. Billie Holiday_.

Which is not Andra Day’s fault. Her portrayal of Lady Day is amazing and almost makes it possible to overlook some of the film’s shortcomings.

First off, the liberties taken with the real Billie Holiday’s life annoyed me. Yes, absolutely the song “Strange Fruit” is a powerful balad in the civil rights movement and it unquestionably deserves its title as The Best Song of the Century (Time Magazine, 199). However, framing the film as a battle a racist FBI head waged against her because of the song downplays the systemic racism in political and law enforcement bodies that began with the selfsame FBI agent and continues to this day.

Secondly, the romance with the FBI agent that serves as a centerpiece for the film probably never happened in real life. Considering the emphasis the film places on this couple, the fact that it is total fabrication casts a shadow over the veracity of the rest of the movie.

_The United States vs. Billie Holiday_ is like a dull dawn: there’s not enough darkness to make the stars shine.

Don’t get me wrong, the film definitely doesn’t shy away from Lady Day’s dark passages, but the traditional Hollywood portrayal doesn’t allow the director to peel away enough levels to get to the heart of the matter. The bright lighting, the brilliant colors, and the extravagant soundtrack dulled the needle that was going to give us the hard shit.

Not unlike the song Ain’t Nobody’s Business quoted at the top of ths review, the sleek style overshadows the pain lurking beneath.