User reviews

Nina Simone was a huge public figure in the black civil rights movement and one of the most popular jazz musicians of all time. She remains to this day very influential and unique. This film managed to capture none of it. It decides to focus entirely on her romantic relationship with her assistant during the last years of her life and - even though it does address her mental health issues and her problems with showbiz - it briefly skims over all the good and important influence she had over culture and music. Zoe Saldana may have been able to pull off her demeanour while in daily life, however her 'on stage' performances were underwhelming. I don't have a problem with her doing her own singing while impersonation an actual person, because a voice-over would probably not have worked well, however, Zoe's auto-tuned performance failed to capture the spirituality, strength and powerful presence that Nina had. Obviously, no one can be as good a Nina as Nina was, but if I didn't know who Nina Simone was before this movie, I certainly would not have cared about her afterwards. Overall, I was not impressed by this film's portrayal of Nina's life, her music and her importance in history. If you want a better portrayal of Nina, watch What Happened, Miss Simone (her documentary) or listen to her actual music.

After the big hoo-ha about how bad this film is, in particular because of Zoe Saldana's casting, I decided to give this movie a shot.

I know virtually nothing about Nina Simone's life, but this film does not want to portray what her life was during her prime. Instead it relies on itty bitty pieces of dialogue during interviews and conversations with Nina's old friend Richard Pryor. It is set during the last decade of her life, when she is mentally ill, unstably alcoholic and very difficult to tolerate. Clifton (David Oyelowo), the nurse at the mental hospital where she is interred, takes her in, looks after her and eventually becomes her manager.

The real problem with this movie is, glaringly, the time period of Nina's life. It's not a good one, and very little happens in the movie. We start her off as a little girl defying racial segregation so that her parents can sit in the front row. Nothing else is shown of her rise to fame and struggles, which makes the film feel very empty.

One thing I really didn't like is the erasure of Clifton's homosexuality. Although he and Nina are not seen intimate with each other (at one point she calls him the F word when he refuses to have sex with her) there is a small implication. Why couldn't they show everyone he was gay?

The last thing is of course Zoe Saldana as Nina. I personally feel the criticism (and it was extremely scornful) was very unfair. She did the best with what she was given, and she should be praised for it. The problem is not the color of her skin, its the age. She is supposed to be in her sixties, and yet Saldana is actually younger than David Oyelowo! They really couldn't find an older actress?

At times the movie was painfully boring, badly paced and perhaps unintentionally funny. 5 out 10.

Why a 6? There are few performers that can captivate an audience. Nina Simone was one of those performer. It's a crime, no sin, the same cannot be said of her biography. The first biography I was not invested in the character. The treatment of Mississippi Burning best describes this movie. Power, hate and anger best describes the song. It is also one of Nina's iconic song, brushed over barely a mention. The best description of the movie: brushed over. Why the 6? I believed Zoe Saldana was incapable of portraying a powerful woman as Nina Simone; I was wrong. Is the movie worth watching for her performance? Sadly No. Nina deserved a better treatment of her life.

Everything you wouldn't want to see in a film about Nina Simone. While Zoe Saldana might get a C+ for effort, one wonders if there were any mirrors anywhere on set or if she figured CGI would fix her appearance; although, the problems with this abysmal film are greater than Zoe's horrific makeup. The story is disjointed and focuses on absolutely arbitrary parts of Nina's life. There is no depth or realness to Cynthia Mort's vision of Nina and - considering the subject matter - that's an injustice. It could be considered an accomplishment that Mort was able to create a film about Nina Simone that leaves the viewer feeling nothing at all. Perhaps the worst part of the film is how ugly they made Nina. While she might not have been what's considered conventionally pretty, Nina possessed an elegant beauty that was a powerful part of her performance. Nina Simone was a beautiful woman and to turn her into a creature from the blackface lagoon in a biopic is unforgivable.

I have been waiting for this project to be made for the last 10 years, ever since I saw Ray. My expectations were high due to the success and talent Nina Simone had.

I thought there would be no way in hell this film could go wrong. I was very excited to hear Mary J was going to play Nina because it was important like Ray that the actor was able to sing.

This was certainly not the case. All I want to know is, why their was such a rush to make a great project into such a bad movie? And the rush of filming was quickly noticed in this film. Lack of love and effort and talent.

Put all these actors together and it doesn't come close to Simone's talent. That for me says it all about this movie.

I cant say the same for the movie Ray with Jamie Fox and the countless talents played in that film, while also Ali, The Help and Seven Years a Slave. All films that portrait The struggles of the African American Movement.

Nina should have been a TV Special!

I only hope that like the new Marilyn project this disaster will be remade in a year from now with casting directors that choose to wear glasses when picking the actors. Every actors in this movie were made to play shadow roles and they do them well. Please keep them there!

Look this film was actually moving and hit some actually good notes. Being a fan of Nina and Zoe Saldana, this movie caught my interest. And despite the controversy, I thought I would end up disliking this movie like the Aaliyah or Whitney biopic. But this had substance, music, and felt organic. The only downfalls are 1) Zoe Saldana looks NOTHING like Nina Simone. There are rare instances in some scenes where I can see it-- But no matter how amazing of an actress Zoe Saldana is she is too thin, her skin color is shades different from how Nina's looked, and her face just a bit like a costume instead of a believable human being. It took away a significant amount of believability. This hurts me to say this, because again I love Zoe and Nina. 2) No matter how much substance this movie has, a lot of it becomes void, based on the fact that Nina's life centered around a dark black skinned woman and her struggles. Being dark skinned is a central part of Nina's being and story. It minimizes her journey to cast a light skinned actress who barely resembles her. I personally feel Whoopi Goldberg or Viola Davis would've been much more suited for this role. That would have created a much more believable on-screen illusion for me to get lost in as a viewer.

Overall. Flaws aside, this film does have a little bit of substance. It's not as bad as Lifetime's terrible attempt at the Aaliyah or Whitney movie-- but it isn't as good at 'What's Love Got to Do With It?' or 'Crazy Sexy Cool- the TLC Story'

I hope this review helps

I came in with expectations about this film. They weren't particularly high but what I did expect was to a lesser degree the music and vocal styling. Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone missed that mark completely. Unlike Jamie Fox in Ray where he magnificently captured Ray Charles's vocal patterns and musical style, you get none of this with Saldana's Nina. In fact, it doesn't transport you away at all. It's an unpleasant look into Nina's last years of her life, one that you do not wish to fully examine. And then there is the makeup that was applied to Zoe Saldana. It was not a visual look that was welcomed. I don't know if they were trying to capture Nina's appearance but this too was flawed and I go back to Jamie Fox role as Ray. Maybe Zoe Saldana was the wrong choice although I do see her being credited as one of the producers along with David Oyelowo who also has a role in this so maybe this was more of a vanity thing because they did it and figured it was easier for her to play the role. the other thing that bothered me was that they kept jumping from one era to another without any consistency. It was a visual headache to the story that just didn't fit. This was tough to watch.

Zolanda portrayed Nina so well. I saw the documentary of Nina on Netflix after media and critics expressed how Zoe and her complexion wasn't the best choice for the movie. You could tell she was painted in some scenes, but for the most part Zoe did an awesome impression of Nina in this movie. The posture, movement of mouth, mannerism, OMG and the scene where she received the clipping, necklace and tape from a fans daughter from the United States was so moving. Whomever it was on that tape sounded damn good!The scene of her dancing during the closing credits should've been left out and the last scene of her performing after returning to the United States could've had some more of Nina mannerism in it.Good movie and it kept me engaged through out the entire showing of it!!

Zoe Saldana did an excellent job, she did capture Nina's essence. Perhaps the story is fictional, and the nurse bit is quite a liberty, however, Zoe helps to bring Nina to a new generation. Her makeup is appropriate, it is not offensive. She gives a nuanced and fine performance. Sometimes it is nice to see a softer more human side of someone known in many ways as a "Militant Icon." Great job Zoe. We get to see hints of Nina's weakness in her dealings at the hospital and the human effects of having to be a strong presence during her trials and tribulations. For those who call Zoe's makeup ugly what is ugly about it? I think some of the fictional liberties are fun, I like the romantic soap opera version of Nina, moments of the lighter spirit and times. Nina is beautiful as is Zoe.

I do understand why some of the reviews were negative. They could have shown us more of the positive aspects of her life and how great she was. She is is a legend in her own right. It was a pretty negative portrayal of her.

That being said,I still enjoyed the movie and Zol Saldana did a pretty good job and her singing was to me ,very good. I didn't even know she could sing.

I enjoyed it.

Nina

Yet another film of a famous person that in reality is just an excuse to show off mental illness. In this case the bipolar condition of Nina Simone.

The film assumes that the viewer already is familiar with her life. I wasn't. I only knew her by having heard a couple of her songs. The start of the film rushes ahead through her life to the very end of her life. But it doesn't start at the end and show flash backs. Well... sort of. It was mostly just a confusing mess and I had no clue what her career was like up to the end (where the film begins). The first concert she does is in a small bar. So as a viewer I'm like, OK, so this is the kind of concerts she had. And then I'm told she is one of the most famous singers. OK, so why is she in a small bar performing if she is so famous? And then somebody says that she should be in a huge concert hall, and not in a small bar. And I'm like, yes, so why isn't she? Please tell me, the viewer. No information.

The film revolves around her (non-romantic) relationship with her nurse/assistant/manager. This is uninteresting. It never goes anywhere and there's very little tension. I suspect it's just badly acted. David Oyelowo plays the assistant. I had never heard of him. So I looked him up. He has a long career of so-so stuff. So he doesn't seem particularly talented. He seems to be established as a middling talent. So it's an odd casting. It seems to me like he just didn't have what it took to make this role work.

Zoe Saldana plays Nina Simone. This is also not particularly interesting. But I don't think it's the acting that's the problem this time. I suspect the problem here is the script. A string of scenes showing a crazy person doing crazy things is not interesting. This is not a comedy. The craziness has to be coupled with her being sensible sometimes. There has to be some sort of balance. Nina Simone in this film goes from being disturbingly weird to being bouncing-off-the-walls-in-a-padded-cell- crazy. She's impossible to like. But she's famous for being a musical genius. She created amazing music and trail-blazed against all odds and conquered the world. This is not shown in this film. Nina Simone in this film is just nuts with no redeeming qualities. It's the stuff that made her famous that I'm interested in. This film provides none of it.

They use the "Angry Black Woman" trope to it's fullest extent. Sure, Nina Simone does have ample reason to be angry. But this character seems utterly consumed by it. It's like she has nothing else going for her in her life.

It would be nice with a film about a historical black person that doesn't focus on how much a victim he or she is. I'm not saying that black people historically haven't suffered. What I'm saying is that, by looking at the movies produced focusing on black people, black history seems to be defined by being a victim and nothing else. I'm starting to find this tedious. And in this film it's especially obvious, since her talents are so down-played. It's all about Nina, the crazy victim.

I learned almost nothing about Nina Simone's music career.

Probably only 25 minutes that I'm watching this biopic about one of my idols:Nina Simone -> "What a bad television film"."A disaster" ... Zoe Saldana, clearly not up to the character! The allusions to Nina; a revolutionary musician are too few"... I don't care about Mrs Simone torments at the end of her life ! Mostly her relationship with her domestic/manager. (If at least it was "done properly). Plus, all the reproductions of her interviews and concerts : "We do not talk about it "... The film budget is what? $ 200 or something ... Roughly speaking, this full-length feature is a flop ... Let's watch a good documentary :)

Wonderful Life and wonderful personality, Nina Simone was. I felt like the storyteller was too much of a fan of Nina (well who can blame her, and who isnt). The problem with this is if you are an obsessive fan of someone, you tend to tell a bias story, it is more a justification of how she lived rather than an open-minded retelling. Zoe saldana tried to carry this movie, but I think her casting in this role is questionable. A Lauryn Hill would have been a fit. This ends up being more of a story about Nina and her nurse/friend Clifton Henderson. A lot of her history has been left out, including her wilding days inc her mortifying moments e.g. what she once did on stage. This attempt at angelizing her ends up being a belittlement.

I feel like there was so much about Nina that was left to be told that they didn't tell us. I think not having her family involved was a mistake because it clearly shows in the depth of the story telling in this. This just failed on all fronts.

First of all, I don't go to see movies for the makeup. I don't care about that controversy. The accent was a bit of a problem; sometimes I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to be hearing Nina Simone or Eartha Kitt. The singing, I'd say, was handled well, given the choice not to use Nina Simone's voice (and that choice can be argued with). The first song dispelled any expectation that we were going to get a Nina Simone imitation, and so when later songs recalled her more strongly, what caught our attention was the positive side of the salute rather than the mismatch.

The big problem was the story. Nina in the movie has two problems. She's suffering as a black woman, and she isn't mentally stable. We get a hint at the very beginning that maybe discrimination is what undermined her sanity (although in reality the Curtis Institute still denies it rejected her on racial grounds, and the fact is the Institute was not closed to black women). But despite reminders of the political situation, she seems to embrace her neuroses rather than struggle against them, so an opportunity for drama is lost. She's a law unto herself, either she takes her medication or she doesn't, and there isn't a lot of cause-and-effect for the audience to cling to.

We do see a bit of cause-and-effect when Dr. King is assassinated and she appears to respond by writing "Why? (The King of Love Is Dead." Unfortunately, Nina Simone in reality didn't write that song.

At what sounds like a crucial moment, her career has bottomed out and someone says "She has to deliver truth again. If she does, she can do whatever she wants." But the remark raises your eyebrows because we hadn't seen a stage at which she delivers something other than truth. And when she agrees to start living clean, on her way to a comeback, it seems like a whim triggered by nothing in particular.

If I could go back in time with the scriptwriter, I'd tell her to rebuild the story around that "She has to deliver truth again" crisis and to give it a clearer before-and-after with more sense of a changed attitude. But maybe that would be an even less accurate movie.

So, I'll try to not include the controversy I heard about Star Trek's Zoe Saldana, playing the Infamous Nina Simone, although that's what made me interested in buying the ticket.

Overall, Saldana's performance was just OK. It's not the worse thing I've ever seen, it's not the best performance I've ever seen. It's not a milestone in her acting career, unlike her co-star David Oyelowo's magnificent turn as Doctor Martian Luther King Jr. in the movie, Selma. Mike Epps made an interesting cameo as Richard Pryor in the movie which left me something more than Saldana as Simone.

Nina is a focus on the last eight or so years of Simone's life, which was odd as Saldana (and the make up job they did on her) did not convince me she was a 70 year old woman. Mainly, it centers around the relationship Nina had with her new manager, Clifton Henderson.

It's another one of these films that tells us more about the type of personality the artist is rather than anything about the person's life. It's similar to Don Cheadle's take on Miles Davis in the film Miles Ahead, but that film had some magic in it that this movie does not.

Saldana and the film did an OK job letting us know the type of artist Nina Simone was, but you did not feel the passion behind it. I know it's near impossible to create a motion picture about Nina that would visually do what Simone could do with her musical talents, but I did not feel any effort towards it at all.

So overall, at the moment Saldana still has playing the most ionic woman in Sci-Fi on the top of her resume, while playing the greatest singer of all time will not even register. The make-up was fine and her voice was satisfying, but like I said I was not expected her to sound like Nina Simone, but this movie is not passionate like her music.

Do not waste your time watching this film. Nina Simone was a legend and one of my favorite artists still to date. I was looking so forward to seeing this film and was disappointed within 5 minutes of the movie starting. Zoe Saldana should never have agreed to do this film as it has certainly changed my thoughts on her acting ability. Beyonce, or Mary J Blige, even Rhianna should been cast! At least these woman have the ability to sing! I also think that the film should have shown more about her life, it was so damn boring i barely stayed awake. See anything else but this rubbish! Ray was a much better film, as at least Jamie Foxx could sing!

Before you accuse me of being a social justice warrior, just try watching the first 10mins of this movie. Casting is not the only crime committed by movie (although it is hard to look past) but pacing, storytelling and overall cinematic quality fall to represent Mrs. Nina Simone.

This movie does not portray the elegance in her artistry or why she mattered. This movie will forever be remembered for MODERN DAY BLACKFACE.

I was half expecting an apology to Nina Simone and her family before the end credits.

How is this movie sitting at 5 out of 10 stars?

Shame on you Hollywood

Something is wrong when white people are telling the story of one of the most ICONIC UNAPOLOGETICALLY BLACK ARTIST of our time! No I wouldn't dare watch this travesty. All I needed to know was they put a Spanish woman in BLACKFACE with a PROSTETIC NOSE and the movie centered around a fictitious romantic relationship with a WHITE man that was her GAY FRIEND. Its no surprise that all the producers are white in addition to that sellout Oyelowo who wishes he was white! Do yourself a favor and watch the documentary her daughter Simone Kelly did on Netflix called What Happened Miss Simone? instead! This is a prime example of why we need to tell our own stories. This was an obvious money grab and not a passion project!

This movie is so disrespectful to Nina Simone her legacy and to her being a dark skin woman during that time.

Shamefull of Saldana to play the part and the studio to even making this movie.

Saldana a light skin woman that they painted her face dark and put on a prosthetic nose. That's the way they saw her?. Nina was a beautiful woman and they portrayed her like she was ugly.

I read the reviews and I understand a lot of them are white people because you don't understand the issue. And that's why you shouldn't have a white director and producer too make a movie about black peoples lives.

Its not a coincidence the movie focused on the relationship with her manager Clifton Henderson and the mental issues. Its deeper than that, its the pain, suffering, confusion,fear,power of being black woman of that time and going against everything that hates you with your head up high.

Not everybody knows about her life. So they needed to focus on the early days and build up what made her the person she became.

Wow, that was a tough watch. Saldana is an appealing and decent actress within her range, but she's way, way out of it here, and given a script and a character that she simply can't do justice to.

It's rare that actors are asked to play older than their age, and for good reason: everyone can remember what it was like being younger, but can only imagine being older. There's no gravitas or presence to Saldana's performance here, and she can't anchor this muddled, tentative film. Since it's entirely about her, well, you see the problem.

And we have to talk about the blackface. Saying "yeah, but it was required for the role" doesn't make it all right. That's how you get Occidentals playing Charlie Chan or Fu Manchu, or girls with less Native American ancestry than Elizabeth Warren playing Comanches.

One rule for all, no exceptions, please.

Nina delivers, with some awesome music. Did it capture Nina's spirit accurately? I don't know, but this film inspired me, unlike most Hollywood tripe these days. It's a simple script about two people who revere each other in an almost supernatural way, sometimes parent/child, sometimes sibling.

This is a movie about spiritual struggle and expression of that struggle through music, and is not suitable for children. But it's honest, and whether or not it was true to Nina Simone's spirit, I don't know. But Zoe Saldana is, perhaps, her own elemental force, with a sense for rhythm that is genius and gentle and lots of good things. This movie has some stirring music that is never unpleasant to listen to, and, at times, is a bit sparse.

Is the movie true, at least, in it's message that our personal salvation is found in how we love one another? More directly, I thought that this movie directed our attention away from racism towards social taboos against relationships that are none of the above.

I could not believe, knowing the actual personage of Nina Simone that this screenplay was approved. I could not believe that a lawsuit for defamation of character was not filed. The sad and lonely story of Nina Simone who worked so hard to please others and who was given so little for her fight for Civil Rights (through the prejudicial system that refused to sign her due to her stance) and self identity, through abuse, and mental illness and prejudice and misogyny. This film glosses over her struggle and portrays her as a mean-spirited, out of control, spoiled person. It does not explain the racial angst, abuse from her husband, denial of her artistic endeavors, having to settle for commercial entertainment rather than pursuing her real passion as a concert pianist. The angst and betrayal that could have been explored were all left out to show Ms. Simone as a bully and braggart. This movie was criticized for all the wrong things.