SummaryShe was one of the century's most extraordinary talents, a 15-time Grammy nominee and Grammy Hall of Fame Recipient; her mesmerizing songs and passionate politics combined to make her the unforgettable Nina Simone (Zoe Saldana). But fame and fortune came with a price, and her later years were riddled with depression, alcohol abuse and isolation. ... Read More
Directed By:Cynthia Mort
Written By:Cynthia Mort
Nina
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
27
User score
Mixed or Average
5.9
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
5% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
42% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
53% Negative
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
Apr 21, 2016
63
[Zoe Saldana] acts with the right fire and sings beautifully and evocatively.
Apr 21, 2016
50
Nina filters the singer’s voice — and her life — through tinny-sounding speakers and an out-of-focus lens.
User score
Mixed or Average
47% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
20% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
33% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Aug 8, 2016
9
A tour de force for Zoe Saldana, who actually does all the singing in this film; this is easily the best performance of her career. She deserves an Oscar for this movie. The pc complaints that she is somehow donning "black face" because her skin was darkened and features altered for the role, is absurd. Black face is designed to mock black people. It's supposed to look fake. The efforts the filmmakers went to to make Zoe appear more like her subject is not unlike similar efforts implemented in any number of other films, such as some starring Daniel Day-Lewis. People who simply wanted an actress who was a carbon copy of what Nina Simone looked like on the outside without regard to acting ability or - and this is most critical - singing ability, are being frankly ridiculous, and those who cry racism should be ashamed of themselves. It would have been likely impossible to get anyone other than Zoe fit for this role in both singing and acting ability. To use Nina's own tracks would have been too fake and unnatural stuck into an actress's mouth like some old 50s musical. Zoe had the guts to go for this and luckily, incredibly, the voice to pull it off. If you have any interest in Zoe or Nina Simone you should watch this movie. It follows Nina Simone in the 1990s as she's trying to recover from her abuse of alcohol and her other issues, to make a comeback, incorporating several flashbacks from her younger years. A fascinating portrait.
Apr 26, 2016
3
For those who are expecting this review to only talk about the racial controversy that this movie faced or ask "why this movie was made" type of review, then please look somewhere else, because people have already beaten me to those criticisms. This movie was destined to fail - with it being filmed in 2012 and is now getting released is just many signs a bad movie. And people thought this was going to respectfully capture the life of Nina Simone. Zoe Saldana was decent in the role and I thought her singing vocals was pretty good. Unfortunately, the movie itself is so boring and so bland to look at.
Apr 21, 2016
40
There are a few stirring moments, but it never seems authentic or real, just a bizarrely staged re-creation.
Apr 20, 2016
33
Nina has been so thoroughly misconceived, on virtually every level, that the only less interesting portrait imaginable would be one that takes place entirely when Nina Simone was in utero.
Apr 21, 2016
25
The whole endeavor seems like a bad idea badly executed, and one can only imagine that Simone, a fierce advocate of black pride and empowerment, would be aghast at this cheesy rendition of the later years of her life.
Apr 18, 2016
25
Saldana delivers her distractingly affected performance with greater conviction than most could muster under these circumstances, but no amount of ferocity can disguise the discrepancy between the 37-year-old actress (33 at the time of filming) and the 62-year-old woman she's playing.
Apr 19, 2016
0
Nina, an infuriatingly amateurish picture about the great singer and pianist Nina Simone, is a new low for the musical biopic genre.
Aug 28, 2020
0
Nina Simone deserved better... much better. The casting from the get-go, threw me off. The period of her life they chose to focus on was another questionable item, especially since there’s not much out there cinematically that explores the true impact of her person and works on her generation and beyond. I don’t think this movie should be re-made but Nina’s multi-faceted story does need to be retold.
Production Company:
- 66 Productions
- Ealing Studios Entertainment
- Ealing Studios
- Fragile Films
- Huntsman Productions
- Londinium Films
- Metro International Entertainment
- Parr Pictures
Release Date:Apr 22, 2016
Duration:1 h 30 m
Tagline:Singer. Activist. Survivor. Legend.
Awards
Women Film Critics Circle Awards
• 3 Nominations
