The death knell for Cynthia Mort's debut feature didn't come with all the initial controversy in 2012 when it was announced that Zoe Saldana was attached to play Nina Simone. It wasn't even when the backlash reached a fever pitch over the last few months when the trailer was released. Instead, the worst moment for "Nina" is the first time the audience hears Saldana sing in the film. Ironically, it's the classic "Feeling Good" that kills any hope that the biopic would transcend its troubled production and bad press. We're only a few minutes into the film, and it becomes clear exactly how embarrassing "Nina" is for everyone involved. You'd feel pity for the filmmakers and stars if you weren't the one being subjected to its problems for the next 85 minutes.
“Nina” jumps around the singer’s life, beginning with her performance as a child as a classical pianist in North Carolina in 1946. From there, it moves back and forth throughout her career,...
