IMDb RATING
5.4/10
3.1K
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The story of the late jazz musician and classical pianist Nina Simone, including her rise to fame and relationship with her manager Clifton Henderson.The story of the late jazz musician and classical pianist Nina Simone, including her rise to fame and relationship with her manager Clifton Henderson.The story of the late jazz musician and classical pianist Nina Simone, including her rise to fame and relationship with her manager Clifton Henderson.
- Awards
- 3 nominations
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaLisa Simone Kelly, Nina Simone's daughter, disavowed the project on grounds it was a dishonest look at her mother's life, particularly in the storyline involving a turbulent romantic relationship between Nina and Clifton Henderson (in real life, Henderson was gay and was Nina's confidant but never her lover). As a result, Simone's family was not consulted during the film's production. While the family said publicly they didn't have any personal issues with Saldana, they didn't agree with her casting because Nina Simone had much darker skin than Saldana and they felt the choice was an attempt to erase what Nina Simone herself called "essential blackness" from the movie.
- ConnectionsReferenced in The Cinema Snob: Marci X (2018)
Featured review
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Zoe Saldana blacks up to play the difficult, volatile and fiery Nina Simone. Nina took no prisoners and there are people still alive who have the shrapnel wounds to prove it.
This film never gets a handle on its subject, it really is all over the place. The story is set up from the point of view of Clifton Henderson (David Oyelowo) the psychiatric nurse who becomes her assistant and later her manager.
Henderson has a difficult task caring for a diva with mental health issues, money problems, a bad reputation and a voice that is losing its edge. Promoters do not make money from her, clubs do not want to book her and audiences refuse to stay silent when she sings.
Director Cynthia Mort had her work cut out to make Nina a sympathetic figure despite her support for the civil rights movement. Nina did not want sympathy when she was alive.
Nina would sometimes go on stage and wind up the audience by not singing her greatest hits. Apparently Mort did not have the final cut to this film but what we have is a disappointing bio-pic.
This film never gets a handle on its subject, it really is all over the place. The story is set up from the point of view of Clifton Henderson (David Oyelowo) the psychiatric nurse who becomes her assistant and later her manager.
Henderson has a difficult task caring for a diva with mental health issues, money problems, a bad reputation and a voice that is losing its edge. Promoters do not make money from her, clubs do not want to book her and audiences refuse to stay silent when she sings.
Director Cynthia Mort had her work cut out to make Nina a sympathetic figure despite her support for the civil rights movement. Nina did not want sympathy when she was alive.
Nina would sometimes go on stage and wind up the audience by not singing her greatest hits. Apparently Mort did not have the final cut to this film but what we have is a disappointing bio-pic.
- Prismark10
- Jul 14, 2018
- Permalink
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $7,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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