Jennifer Hudson might have an Oscar to her credit.
But her new film isn’t exactly getting rave reviews.
“Winnie Mandela,” with Hudson in the lead role, hit theaters Friday.
The soundtrack, featuring Hudson singing “Bleed for Love” (listen below) is also out.
As for the reviews, here’s a sampling, with links to the full review.
New York Daily News: Gives the film 2 stars out of 5 saying, “often, it’s actors who cannot withstand the burden on playing historical figures. In the case of “Winnie Mandela,” Jennifer Hudson has the opposite problem. It’s the movie around her that doesn’t rise to the challenge.”
The Washington Post: Gives the film 2 stars out of 4, saying, “despite the marquee names and their obvious talent, the film feels like a made-for-TV movie. It’s slight and episodic, with a weirdly scrupulous ambivalence about its subject, whom it seems torn between loving and loathing.”
USA Today: Gives the film 2 stars out of 4, saying, “so good in Dreamgirls, Hudson works hard to convey the gravitas of the role, but she struggles in a part that might have been better suited for a more experienced actress.” The a review also criticizes the film for being “unsure just how much to include of Winnie Mandela’s controversial adult life and how heavily to focus on her famous husband, Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid leader and South Africa’s first black president.”
Los Angeles Times: Doesn’t provide a rating, but says “Hudson has strong moments during Winnie’s soul-testing solitary confinement, and she communicates her steeliness, fire and commitment. But unlike costar Elias Koteas — whose relentless high-ranking cop is the face of all that’s evil in the apartheid regime — Hudson hasn’t the acting chops to suggest complexities despite the material’s shallowness.”
The New York Times: Doesn’t provide a rating, but says “to Ms. Hudson’s credit, her performance rings with conviction. She can be downright ominous, especially when her character is angry. Unfortunately, the screenplay … has so much ground to cover that the movie plays like a made-for-television quickie.”
Now “Bleed for Love” …
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1 Comment
Wouldn’t worry about it, this movie wass a flop when it was originally released in 2011. She has two blockbusters coming out this season with “Mister & Pete” and “Black Nativity” she’ll kill it