Director: George C. Wolfe
Cast: Viola Davis , Chadwick Boseman , Glynn Turman , Colman Domingo , Jeremy Shamos , Michael Potts , Taylour Paige , Dusan Brown , Jonathan Coyne , Joshua Harto , Mayte Natalio
Plot: Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious cornet player Levee (Chadwick Boseman) who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives.
My Movie Review: The movie is an exploration of the weight of blues on American history and the music formed conjointly with it as August Wilson based his 1982 play on the real-life 1920s blues singer Ma Rainey, who really did record her first tracks in a Chicago recording studio for Paramount Records and this true story is for a musician determined to Live on her Own Terms! Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a force to be reckon with such incredible performances from its lead stars Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman their acting was so strong you'll remember the feeling's of rhythm and blues through their veins and face expressions those moments lives on! Chadwick Boseman's final performance in this film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom would always have been bittersweet, but it's also expected to bring the late actor the kind of awards attention he never won in his short life, said by- George C. Wolfe- "It's a legendary screen performance!" A strong contender from Netflix last year for Oscar consideration starring Viola Davis & the last performance from Chadwick Boseman, taking place during a hot, humid afternoon tumultuous day in 1920's Ma Rainey and her fractious backing band are at a studio to record some songs:)
Critics Consensus: Framed by pair of powerhouse performances, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom pays affectionate tribute to a blues legend and Black culture at large. The sense that we're beholden to the whims of unseen forces-that we're not the protagonists of our own stories-cuts deep in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The story concerns itself chiefly with the role of music in documenting and defusing the unspeakable pains that birthed the blues. Acting doesn't come much bolder and more blistering than in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Each of the actors rises to the occasion in this production, riding a wave of heat crafted by screenwriter and Wilson whisperer Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The downside to the film's almost musical rhythm is that it never quite transcends its stagey feel... On the other hand, it's hard to argue against the power of seeing Boseman or Davis' faces fill the screen. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is pure art, just as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is an example of what happens when director and cast have intimate knowledge of the material, making it as great as it can. A moving and powerful adaptation commanded by Davis and Boseman's towering performances!
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