Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

By: Mike Ward on Tuesday, December 22

R Running Time: 94 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

Chadwick Boseman’s final performance is the best of his career.
Viola Davis is a force; leading a fantastic ensemble of actors through an engaging and compelling story of race relations and perceptions, trust, and how talent can be wielded as both weapon and defense mechanism.
The power of making music may provide the pulse but Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is full of sharp dialogue, timeless observations and a soundtrack of music bursting out of your speakers.

NO

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is structured like a movie, but retains numerous qualities of the stage play it was adapted from. Though more a conventional movie than a recreation of a play, the vibe may throw some viewers off.
Honestly, there’s not any good reason to miss this, with near unanimous critical and audience acclaim. The dialogue does require you to pay attention, so if you are not willing to pay close attention, this is not a “throw this on while I do tasks” kind of movie.
Maybe you hate blues music? Maybe difficult, complex discussions about race relations aren’t your jam. To each their own I guess, but we could learn quite a bit from movies like Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

OUR REVIEW

As irascible as she is talented, Ma Rainey is a weathered, cynical woman who apologizes to no one, for anything, at any time. The battle scars she carries with her are apparent – as a blues singer in the 1920s, she routinely performs for white club owners, white producers, and white record company executives. She is weary of exploitation, but the years of racial injustice she has been victim of and fought against are embedded in her expectations and interactions.

Here, Ma Rainey is portrayed by the remarkable Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, adapted from August Wilson’s 1982 play by director George C. Wolfe. Davis, wearing a gold-stained floral dress and a whole lot of makeup, is an indisputable force on screen. Whether demanding cold, fresh bottles of Coca-Cola before singing, tearing through a blistering club gig in a boozy nightclub, flirting with her young girlfriend Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige), or lobbying for her nephew Sylvester (Dusan Brown) to appear on her record, despite his issue with stuttering, Rainey, by Davis, is one of the most dynamic characters we have seen in quite some time.

The proverbial “Black Bottom” is a dance, and the name of a future single released by Ma and her four-piece backing band. It is one of many songs being cut on this particular day, in a blistering Chicago summer in 1927, within a small recording studio. Late as always, all but one member of Ma’s band arrives well before she does.

As her accomplished band set up to rehearse, they are eventually joined by trumpet player Levee (the late Chadwick Boseman). Ma’s manager Irvin (Jeremy Shamos) runs interference between her absence and the agitation of record company boss Sturdyvant (Jonny Coyne). Where is she, he asks in a multitude of different ways. She’s on her way, he’s told in a variety of different responses. And as Irvin zips around, eventually Ma Rainey arrives – with a full-blown car accident to boot, caused, in part, by Sylvester’s erratic driving because of her tardiness. And sure enough, Irvin is soon negotiating with the white police officer to not take Ma and Sylvester to the station.

As efforts continue to try and get Ma ready to perform, we have been privy to an escalating series of conversations between her bandmates. Each character is given a chance to stand out in screenwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s blistering screenplay adaptation.

The de facto leader of Ma’s band is guitarist Cutler (Colman Domingo), who tries to redirect and refocus the band. Dutiful piano player Toledo (Glynn Turman), and the aptly-named bass player, Slow Drag (Michael Potts) have a nice camaraderie with Cutler. Levee proves more disruptive. He has a lot on his mind, a lot to say, and no interest to fall in line any longer, based on promises he believes Sturdyvant made to him about some compositions he hopes to record.

Boseman, who died tragically in August after losing his fight to cancer at just 43 years old, delivers the greatest performance of his career. Levee is materialistic, combative, but also vulnerable. Where Ma refuses to allow anyone or anything to impede her wish to get everything she wants, Levee’s naïveté and cocky attitude allow him to believe he is unbeatable. He’s a quick response or a cutting dig away from getting out of most situations, and quickly his bandmates grow weary of dealing with his nonsense.

In other hands, Boseman would dominate his scenes and take all the air out of the room. However, he plays Levee about as perfect as possible. Few knew of his health struggles. And with the bittersweet benefit of hindsight, in a film rich with great writing, insightful commentary, and unforgettable presence, there is one scene where Boseman and Levee become one and the same; Levee’s anger is Boseman’s, an extraordinary moment to witness and for Boseman to leave for us to contemplate and consider.

Both Ma and Levee seem tired and consumed by insecurity - Levee wants to the spotlight for himself and Ma is growing tired of fighting the fight all the time and worried about getting screwed over by another white producer. Each combative, they are intoxicated with the possibility of fame (in the case of Levee) and the need to hold on to it (for Ma).

Though the film’s final act may prove polarizing, even shocking to some, there is a lack of pretense within Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom that is just sublime. Watching actors dive into the core of Wilson’s work without fear, seeing Ann Roth’s authentic costume design, minimal but detailed production design by Mark Ricker, and a subtle and moving score from Grammy winner Branford Marsalis all add to the scaled down appearance of an otherwise booming and robust production full of vitality, life, and unforgettable emotion.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Jeremy Shamos, Jonny Coyne, Taylour Paige, Dusan Brown, Joshua Harto.

Director: George C. Wolfe
Written by: Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Adapted from the stage play, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” by August Wilson
Release Date: November 25, 2020 (theaters); December 18, 2020 (Netflix)
Netflix

Chadwick Boseman’s final performance is the best of his career.

Viola Davis is a force; leading a fantastic ensemble of actors through an engaging and compelling story of race relations and perceptions, trust, and how talent can be wielded as both weapon and defense mechanism.

The power of making music may provide the pulse but Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is full of sharp dialogue, timeless observations and a soundtrack of music bursting out of your speakers.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is structured like a movie, but retains numerous qualities of the stage play it was adapted from. Though more a conventional movie than a recreation of a play, the vibe may throw some viewers off.

Honestly, there’s not any good reason to miss this, with near unanimous critical and audience acclaim. The dialogue does require you to pay attention, so if you are not willing to pay close attention, this is not a “throw this on while I do tasks” kind of movie.

Maybe you hate blues music? Maybe difficult, complex discussions about race relations aren’t your jam. To each their own I guess, but we could learn quite a bit from movies like Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.