Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Tensions rise when the trailblazing Mother of the Blues and her band gather at a Chicago recording studio in 1927. Adapted from August Wilson's play.

  • Released: 2020-11-25
  • Runtime: 94 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, Music
  • Stars: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Jonny Coyne, Taylour Paige, Jeremy Shamos, Dusan Brown, Joshua Harto, Quinn VanAntwerp, Antonio Fierro, Roger Petan, Daniel Johnson
  • Director: George C. Wolfe
 Comments
  • Hitchcoc - 14 June 2023
    Somewhat Draggy In Places
    I had a college drama professor tell us: Movies are movies and plays are plays. There aren't many plays that do well when kept intact and put on the screen. One may as well just film the stage version. Here we have an August Wilson play trying to be both and what we get are long speeches and tightly staged conversations. Granted the words are poignant (August Wilson is a great playwright) but the claustrophobic setting keeps us away from what a movie can be. We don't know much about Ma Rainey here, other than she was extremely popular and in demand. The recording session is, for the most part, a disaster. What we have as a counterpoint is a young man who is a trumpet master, who can't back down for a couple hours, and ends up throwing his life and livelihood away.
  • marshall-dan784 - 26 March 2022
    Boring
    I wanted to hear more music- instead we get the band members bitching with each other the whole time. When we did see Ma Rainey, she was mostly being a diva. One scene was absolutely senseless and disturbing and completely unnecessary- what was the point of this movie anyway?!?
  • queradibetty - 8 December 2021
    Great performances.
    Great acting, especially Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. Great music and atmosphere. A bit dark and sad, but definitely an interesting movie - I liked it, but I will probably never see it again.
  • CinemaClown - 22 July 2021
    Sturdily Crafted & Powerfully Acted
    Fuelled by fiery inputs from Viola Davis & Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is about a group of blues musicians coming together to record a song on a hot summer day in 1920s Chicago. And through the tension & temperament that flare within the band, it is able to paint a riveting portrait of the African-American experience in early 20th century America.

    Directed by George C. Wolfe, the film does shine light on social injustice & racial prejudice of the era, many of which still echo today, but it is in the clash & friction between the old & new voices where the story derives the charge to amplify its dramatic intensity. Wolfe offers each character the room to make their voices heard and makes sure that the atmosphere remains volatile throughout.

    Evoking the film's period setting are its era-appropriate set pieces & authentic costumes but it is in the performances where its true strength lies. Davis plays Ma Rainey with aplomb and renders her fearless aura & brash confidence in a raw & fierce manner. Boseman is in as the impatient & overconfident trumpeter and his explosive act is nearly as impressive as Davis if not more. And these two are brilliantly supported by the rest.

    Overall, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom makes for a bustling drama that's steered by powerhouse acts from its leading pair, and has got way more going underneath than what appears on the surface. While not a biopic in the truest sense, it still captures every facet of the blues legend through her turbulent recording session & Viola Davis' empathic showcase, and also features Chadwick Boseman in not only his final film role but arguably his finest as well.