Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was sensational, powerful, and gut-wrenching – one of the best Netflix original films of all time. Based on the play of the same name by August Wilson, this doesn’t face the same problem that Fences did. While I liked that it felt very much like a play, this film had a way more cinematic feel to it thanks to strong direction from George C. Wolfe.
The film centers on a fateful recording session of “Mother of the Blues” by Ma Rainey in 1927 Chicago and her battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. The film deals with race, music, relationships, and the exploitation of black recording artists.
Regardless of whose name appears on the title, this film belongs to Chadwick Boseman’s Levee. He steals the movie, saving his best performance for his last one. Watching the film, all I could think was that he knew this would be his final performance and left it all on the table. I feel very strongly in saying he will win the Oscar, and likely sweep the entire awards season. I think casual moviegoers or haters will say that the only reason he wins the award is that he died, but I think that would be a disservice to how amazing he was in this role. There have only been eight posthumous acting nominations and two wins in 92 years that the Oscars have been around, which is why I don’t think his death factors in as his surefire success in winning. He’s that good and deserving of the highest honor.
This film and performance is a testament to the undeniable charisma he possessed. He managed to make such an egotistical character likable. In the hands of someone who lacks personality, this character wouldn’t have worked at all. Thanks to Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s fantastic script, Chadwick delivers some terrific monologues with an abundance of emotional range. Those monologues gave a lot of backstory to his tragic character, and his line delivery sold his character’s pain. I felt the pain in his words. This film, along with this year’s Da 5 Bloods, shows what a tremendous talent we lost.
Now onto Viola. She won her first Oscar for Fences, and yet another August Wilson project might lead to her second win. While she’s more of a supporting player than the lead, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Viola delivers what can arguably be called her career’s best performance. A very intense performance unlike any she’s done before. Similar to Chadwick, she delivers Santiago-Hudson’s lines with such ferocity and energy. While some might be disappointed that she isn’t in it as much as they would expect being the titular character, she makes up for it anytime she’s on-screen. You can’t take your eyes off of her.
This film marks the second collaboration between director George C. Wolfe and playwright/screenwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Their first was the HBO film Lackawanna Blues, which was based on Santiago-Hudson’s upbringing in Lackawanna, New York. I’m a fan of that film, but this is even better.
I loved this screenplay. It was a lot stronger than I expected. I enjoyed the fun and entertaining banter between the band members provided great humor. I laughed a lot more than I expected to, especially with a particular scene with one of the characters having a stuttering problem. My cheeks hurt so much from the laughter. Wolfe’s direction is solid, as he managed to make this very dialogue-heavy film feel more cinematic than most play adaptions by how well he paced the scenes.
Speaking of pace, the Oscar-worthy editing by Andrew Mondshein is a significant factor as to why the pacing was so good. The soulful score by Branford Marsalis was excellent, which added to an already booming soundtrack that just made the overall music in the film feel fantastic. The costume and producing design are very period-accurate and should warrant Oscar consideration. I loved the limited setting of the movie because the cramped, claustrophobic feel of one location added so much intensity to Chadwick and Viola’s performances.
While Chadwick and Viola are justifiably getting their lion’s share of the acting praise, I have to mention some supporting cast members who all do an outstanding job. I want to highlight Coleman Domingo and Glynn Turman, who have more significant supporting parts as band members alongside Chadwick.
Domingo is one of the finest character actors working right now. He tends to shine in pretty much everything I’ve seen him in when the part is substantial. He’s had a great December as he was also excellent in the social Euphoria episode that dropped earlier this month. From Cooley High to Gremlins and this year’s season 4 of Fargo, Glynn Turman is an actor who I’ve seen on the screen my whole life, it feels. A man of few words in the film, his eyes and face do a lot more than words ever could.
While I feel the editing deserves an Oscar nomination, I’ll say the one issue I did have with the film was the terrible editing choice to give us many of Viola’s many close-ups when she is singing. The close-ups make it evident that she is lip-synching, which took me out at times. I’ve never heard Viola sing, so I can’t defend whether she’s a good singer or not. But for me, when an actor is portraying a real-life singer, I love when we hear their actual voice. It’s why I hold these performances in high regard: Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison, Taron Egerton as Elton John, and Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash to name a few.
Denzel Washington has the right to produce August Wilson’s eight other plays, and after Fences and Ma Rainey, I cant wait to see the other eight come to life. A very well-paced 90 minutes, the film was a great time, and I’ve already watched it twice. It’s one of the year’s best movies.
