Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
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.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is elevated almost entirely by its performances — Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman deliver career-defining work, with Boseman's turn being particularly volcanic and tragic. The stage origins are apparent in the talky, confined setting, which limits cinematic scope and keeps Plot and Cinematography from standing out. The ending lands with devastating force, giving emotional and thematic payoff to Boseman's Levee in a way that lingers. Novelty is moderate — it's a faithful adaptation of August Wilson's celebrated play, distinctive in voice and subject matter but not cinematically reinventive.