Queen Latifah ever so capably maneuvers Bessie from any sort of static strong-Black-woman archetype and weaves a palpable vulnerability, an ache for love, into her portrayal and it's glorious.

| Aug 12, 2021

Bessie shows us an assortment of moments from that life but doesn't really make us feel it, despite Queen Latifah's best efforts.

| Dec 3, 2015

Well-made biopic absent a whole lot of music and -- as a result -- much emotional resonance.

| Original Score: B- | Dec 3, 2015

Bessie isn't a perfect movie. But for HBO's purposes, it's a big-time noisemaker - one with the kind of show-stopping work that, when they start handing out trophies, isn't likely to leave its star singin' the blues.

| Dec 3, 2015

Bessie boasts powerful performances and a chance to hear the early blues popularized by Smith and her mentor, Ma Rainey.

| Dec 3, 2015

A thoughtful and at times stirring example of how a film can add texture to a legendary figure.

| Dec 3, 2015

Bessie Smith, who earned the title "Empress of the Blues" back in the 1920s, remains a voice that should be heard today.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 3, 2015

A beautifully affecting biopic.

| Dec 3, 2015

It takes just the first few raunchy and emotionally searing minutes of "Bessie" to grasp why Queen Latifah-its star and one of its producers-viewed this story of Bessie Smith's life and career as a labor of love, or more precisely, passion.

| Dec 3, 2015

Despite its complicated central figure, Rees' film feels all too typical in the end. The small moments are there for anyone who wants to find them, but they're not enough to make "Bessie" as great as the woman herself.

| Original Score: B | Jun 4, 2015

Best of all are Latifah's scenes with Mo'Nique because their energies fit and because they have the most to do with music and performance and the reasons these women are worth remembering, and re-creating.

| May 21, 2015

At nearly two hours, Bessie feels a lot like any other 온라인카지노추천 biopic, with unspectacular production values and a mostly chronological story structure. But it's hard not to be moved by the woman it portrays, and by the point of view it shares with her.

| May 19, 2015

Latifah doesn't just make us believe in Bessie Smith's claim to fame. She makes us feel for every gifted African-American singer and actor, from Smith to Latifah herself, who hasn't been given the roles and nurturing his or her talents deserve.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | May 19, 2015

In a cast full of strong performances, Queen Latifah stuns. Quite simply, it's the finest performance she's ever given.

| Original Score: B | May 18, 2015

Viewers of Bessie will love her and want to shake her, to beg her not to squander her talent.

| May 15, 2015

A flawed drama that nonetheless warrants a look simply because of the bright spotlight it gives the underrated talents of star Queen Latifah, who does quite easily the best work of her career here.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 15, 2015

There are three good reasons to watch HBO's Bessie: Queen Latifah, Mo'Nique, and Khandi Alexander.

| May 14, 2015

"Bessie" captures what it's like to be the exception that proves the rule, as well as to "know" people well enough to provide them with comfort and uplift from hundreds of feet away with just the sound of her voice - but never to be one of the masses

| Original Score: 75/100 | May 13, 2015

This is a smartly observed, understated biographical drama that sidesteps hagiography and treats its complex subject with integrity.

| May 11, 2015

Bessie is remarkably poignant, even if that resonance is somewhat disreputable.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 9, 2015