Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

2020

Action / Drama / Music

31
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 72% · 318 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 72% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.9/10 10 76772 76.8K

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Plot summary

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.

Director

George C. Wolfe Photo
George C. Wolfe

Top cast

Joshua Harto Photo
Joshua Harto as Policeman
Taylour Paige Photo
Taylour Paige as Dussie Mae
Viola Davis Photo
Viola Davis as Ma Rainey
Chadwick Boseman Photo
Chadwick Boseman as Levee
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
865.79 MB
1280*640
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us   ar   cn   hr   cz   dk   nl   fi   fr   de   gr   il   hu   id   it   ja   kr   ms   no   pl   pt   ro   ru   es   sv   th   tr   vi  
24 fps
1 hr 34 min
Seeds 10
1.74 GB
1920*960
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us   ar   cn   hr   cz   dk   nl   fi   fr   de   gr   il   hu   id   it   ja   kr   ms   no   pl   pt   ro   ru   es   sv   th   tr   vi  
24 fps
1 hr 34 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by kjeltprent 8 / 10

Performances!

This film is full of good performances. Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis shine in this movie. Chadwick was incredible. I am very happy to see him one more time, and what a performance he gives. The story felt a bit short. The story is not that special but I'll say it again, the performances are so good. That's why I give this film a 7.Thank you Chadwick Boseman, R.I.P.
Reviewed by classicsoncall 8 / 10

"Mother of the blues man, Mother of the blues."

Considering the movie's title, and Viola Davis's spirited portrayal of Ma Rainey, it seemed to me that Chadwick Boseman's portrayal of band member Levee provided the spark and energy for this picture, right up to the tragic circumstance that leads Levee to erupt in anger and seal his doomed fate. In fact, almost all the other musicians in the story appear to have more screen time than the title character, with Cutler (Colman Domingo) and Toledo (Glynn Turman) engaging in meaningful soliloquies that provide resonance to their back stories. Yet Ma Rainey becomes the most forceful presence anytime she's on screen, making demands of her white manager and producer, and exerting her influence over what songs she sings and in what manner they will be performed. Levee's insistence on bringing an uptempo vibe to Ma's traditional back water blues reminds me of the angst Sam Cooke experienced when he was faced with the difficult decision to move from old time spirituals to pop music, thereby making his music more accessible to a wider audience. The most electric scene in my estimation was when Levee called upon Cutler's god to intervene on his behalf when the young upstart threatened to cut him up. Though that potential tragedy was averted, Levee's uncontrolled temper got the upper hand in his confrontation with Toledo over the scuffed shoe. His volatile temper and the racial divide that permeated 1920's America effectively destroyed Levee's dream of forming his own band, punctuated by producer Sturdyvant's (Jonny Coyne) denial of his talent, while having a white band and singer perform his written music. Currently streaming on Netflix, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" features solid performances by the principals, and some stunning blues numbers that will whet your appetite for more.
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