Here are some well-known faces from Sundance over the years, as they brought their early movies to the festival.
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Title: Nina (2016)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Zoe Saldana | ... | Nina Simone | |
| David Oyelowo | ... | Clifton Henderson | |
| Kevin Mambo | ... | Gilles, Lead Guitarist | |
| Ronald Guttman | ... | Henri Edwards | |
| Chuma Gault | ... | Nina's Husband | |
| Allison Sarofim | ... | Head Nurse | |
| Mike Epps | ... | Richard Pryor | |
| Keith David | ... | Clifton's Father | |
| Ella Joyce | ... | Clifton's Mom | |
| Stevens Gaston | ... | Clifton's Brother | |
| Fred Cassidy | ... | Customs Agent | |
| Jessica Oyelowo | ... | Nurse | |
| Anthony Molinari | ... | Cop #1 | |
| Ella Thomas | ... | Lorraine Hansberry | |
| Bonnie Bartlett | ... | Recital Stage Woman | |
The story of the late jazz musician and classical pianist Nina Simone including her rise to fame and relationship with her manager Clifton Henderson.
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