Average Rating: 
Rating: - Not Billie's real story, but I give Diana props
I'm not a Diana Ross fan, but in this movie, she was excellent and convincing as Lady Day. Dynamic performances by Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor as well. My only fault with this movie that it was not Billie Holiday's real story. It was filled with inaccuracies and purely fictional situations. Even Berry Gordy, Ross' one-time lover and mentor, admitted that the script was bogus, but it still was very riveting. This was Ross' first film and even though she never took a drama lesson in her life, she pulled this off with no problem. Definitely worth checking out.
Rating: - Supreme Performance by Ms. Ross
Although she is a magnificent singer and has acted in numerous movies, I believe this to be the only film in which Ms Ross ever showcased any stellar acting ability. I agree with the reviewer that implied she left her real acting talent somewhere along the Yellowbrick Road. This movie gives but a glimpse of the grief, heartache and loss experienced by Billie Holiday in her tragically short life. Some visual images used in the movie are quite intense and emotionally riveting. They make it easy to understand how the 'blues' are truly experienced. Ms Ross's smooth jazzy vocals resonate the soundtrack with a contrasting clarity to Holiday's original recordings but superbly capture the emotional intensity of Billie's vaccilating depression and addiction. Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor are excellent in supporting roles. Williams provides the love and compassion that just aren't enough to rescue Holiday from the depths of her addiction. Pryor and Scatman Crothers (in a small role) add some islands of comic relief to the generally depressed mood. Lady Sings the Blues is for those who want to get a glimpse of the tragic life of Billy Holiday. It's also for those who want to see Ms Ross's best dramatic performance and won't be upset with her 'smoother' vocal renditions of the Lady Day songbook.
Rating:  - It¿s All About Diana!
This biography loosely based on the tragic life of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday is a beautifully shot and art directed film. It also contains one of the best soundtrack recordings in movie history. But the facts about Holiday's life have been so condensed here that it borders on fiction. If you can get past the fictionalized storyline and just accept what you are being shown as a good story, you will ultimately be moved by the dramatic portayals in the movie. Diana Ross tackled this role like a hungry dog might attack a piece of raw sirloin. She is astonishing both in her performance and her unique beauty. I literally gasped watching her during the heroin withdrawal scences it is so real, and her ability to mood swing from conivingly sweet, to wild eyed hellion is nothing short of brilliant! I highly recommend this film especially if you've only seen The Wiz, and think Miss Ross can't act.
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