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
  • unclejeff - 17 March 2024
    MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM - **1/2 out of *****
    Sometimes what works on stage does not transfer well to screen, and I was surprised and disappointed that August Wilson's play did not succeed as well as the adaptation of his FENCES a few years ago. Long monologues which were surely electrifying to hear during a live performance become monotonous and almost tedious. The acting by Davis and Boseman has been celebrated - in fact I predict Boseman will win the Best Actor Oscar posthumously next year - but I found them both overly theatrical and studied. One tends to marvel at their "big scenes" but it feels more like acting class than character inhabitation, and I shockingly felt little emotion. My favorite performance was actually by Domingo as one of the musicians who is at odds with Boseman throughout - he steals the film, and I wouldn't mind seeing him receive awards consideration. Movies like these are important to be made and to be seen as a means of remembering history in order not to repeat it. On those grounds, I'm glad it will have a platform like Netflix. But if I'm judging the movie and not its intentions, I can't give this a recommendation artistically. There is nothing at all cinematic about this movie - and while there are some individually powerful and moving moments, they don't add up to a cohesive whole.
  • grahamwalter-38726 - 20 August 2022
    Directors indulgence
    After a promising start, the film went nowhere. Over indulgent script writing with very little story telling. An endless dialogue of empty chit chat interspersed with an unrealistically aggressive lead character. Turned it off after 45 minutes.