A filmed play. Since most of my own films are adaptations of my own plays, "filmed play" isn't always an insult. But "Ma Rainey" was kind of talky and a little tedious. I did enjoy Mr. Boseman's performance, but I knew almost from the start that he was going to die during the film. The character who wants to stretch beyond his expected place in these sorts of stories always gets stopped somehow (kind of predictable). Nicely acted, and good music.

WOW! I started this movie not expecting anything. It's a short movie with a lot of power, and the acting is INCREDIBLE!

One of those humid, sweltering summer days where the atmosphere boils over into anger and embittered rage. The music is good, the plot is taut and tense and it makes for a good story. Has all the hallmarks of a stage play rather than a film and that’s ultimately why it is good but not great. Watched on Netflix.

2 incredible leads bring this simple film with a simple story propelling forward with great drama.

空有戏哗的文本而无戏哗的形式美，想表达的内容塞得过满以至于丧失了影像的意蕴。

Fueled by an impeccable, energetic performance from Boseman and an ever powerful Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a moving (and slightly disturbing) drama. The scope of this movie is so extensive that it doesn't quite fit into the limited setting of a single recording session. Even so, it keenly explores racism and how African-Americans simultaneously revolutionized and were marginalized by the music industry of the early Twentieth Century.

Fantastic cast and performance.

It dragged a bit, but I did not care. The acting, shot composition, soundtrack, and flawless historical accuracy VASTLY made up for it. 95/100.

George C. Wolfe brings one fateful afternoon to the screen in this Oscar-winning drama. Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' tells the story of a humid afternoon in 1920s Chicago. The film marks Chadwick Boseman's final on-screen performance before his death in August 2020. 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' features sensational performances from its entire cast that consists of the likes of Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman and Glynn Turman. When the backing singers for the esteemed blues singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) arrive at a Chicago recording studio, they share stories and ideas as they wait for her to arrive. When Ma Rainey finally arrives, tensions rise as equipment failures, harrowing stories and conceited trumpeters disrupt their recording. But when the recording ends, what happens next will change the course of everyone's lives forever. Viola Davis gives a sensational performance in the titular role, portraying the so-called 'mother of the blues'. Her Oscar nomination for leading actress takes her total amount of Academy Award nominations to a record-breaking four. Chadwick Boseman stars opposite Davis as the hubristic trumpet player Levee Green. Boseman's performance is emotionally raw and full of overconfidence. Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman and Michael Potts all give great performances throughout the 94 minutes. The costumes in the film are gorgeous and incredibly detailed, so it's no surprise Ann Roth received an array of accolades for her part in making the film. The hair and makeup department do a sensational job with every character's look; the attention to detail is remarkable. When it comes to Viola Davis' wig, Ann Roth and Mia Neal, for accuracy and authenticity, decided to hand-make Ma Rainey's wig from horsehair. Even though the characters looked incredible, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' can't help but drag itself to its closing credits. The fact it was all predominantly contained in two rooms didn't help either. Not even the magnificent talent heading the film can save it from becoming a mundane near-waste of time. Considering the film is about the mother of blues and her band, viewers will be surprised to learn that 90% of the film is just rage-fuelled monologues or over the top reactions - there's hardly any singing. However, the film does bring up issues that relate to when the film is set. Themes like racism and the LGBTQ+ community as Taylour Paige plays Ma Rainey's younger lover Dussie Mae. It shows how Ma Rainey and other BIPOC were used simply because of their talent and the profit they could provide people. At the end of the film, it's addressed when Levee's original song is sung and recorded by a group of white men instead of Levee himself. If you want to learn more about women who don't give in to a racist, sexist patriarchy, then you should be watching 'Selena'. But if you're enamoured by Viola Davis' talent, then you should watch 'Fences' or 'The Help. Both of these films allow Davis to show off her never-ending talents. 'Fences' also stars producer Denzel Washington opposite Davis. In conclusion, George C. Wolfe's adaptation of the August Wilson play is a mixed bag. While the performances and appearances may be spectacular, the story can't help but feel stodgy and slow.

It's a real shame that in this day and age movies use lip syncing that looks atrociousy fake takes a lot away from a good movie

The make or break of the movie was the cast and there all fantastic with Chadwick Boseman as the highlight, allowing it to be a fantastic watch.

A stellar film that takes place during one of Ma Rainy's most troublesome recordings, the music is wonderful, the production is great and the late Chadwick Boseman proves what a true talent he was, serving as a triumphant final performance.

The best acting performance from Chadwick Boseman! With the best movie costumes ever designed!

The movie is basically a day in the life of this band where everything goes wrong. The first & only part of this movie that caught my attention { Spoiler } is when the old guy got stabbed & that's what, 10 minutes before the movie ends. This movie feels short even though it's almost 2 hours long, It's good if you just want to pass the time but that's it.

An example of how a real little masterpiece can be shot with a modest budget is this year's Oscar nominee George Wolf's movie with Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. Everything is there, from the choice of an always current topic, through masterful directing, to extraordinary acting. Unfortunately, the film is at least about Ma Rainey's music, as the title might interpret. But who cares about music, can watch "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" from February this year, which, on the other hand, has nothing else to offer but an interesting interpretation of songs and decent acting by Andra Day. Lady Day as the "leader of the civil movement"? No, thanks. "Ma Rainey's..." is a brilliant film that will be remembered primarily by the bitter story, which you have to see instead of being told, but also by the extraordinary acting of Viola Davis, as well as the fact that this is the last role of Chadwick Boseman, who, unlike the role in the greatly overestimated "Black Panther" from 2018, shows all his lavish acting talent here. An interesting note is that in the original play, Levee never breaks down the closed door in the rehearsal space.

August Wilson wrote a play set in every decade of the 20th century, ten in all. This one covers the Twenties. I watched the recent film version (2020), which captures the drama and the detailed make-up of each character well. I recommend it.

From what I heard about this film I was very much exited to see this. Unfortunately is was somewhat disappointing. The acting performances were good, but not outstanding or oscarworthy as I hoped for. Still an ok movie to see for one time.

I didn't really know much about this movie going in however, after watching i was not surprised to find out that it was based on a play as you can see tell fairly easily. The film is soaked in play-like monologues and limited sets and the framing. It is such a dialogue heavy movie that it could run the risk of being a little bit slow however it is so well acted and the narrative is so well thought out that you find time fly by while watching. The characters are very deep and you truly feel as though you know them personally. This is all made possible by the acting. For the most part every actor in this movie hits it out of the park. Colman Domingo truly shines in this film. He just has a charm that draws you to any character that he plays. Chadwick was great too in his final performance. His emotional scenes really sweep the rug out from under your feet and make you empathize with his character. Viola Davis dives head first into her character and lives in Ma Rainey. She is fantastic. She embodies the role even down to the way she walks. It is done to perfection. There isn't a whole lot of story because the film is very character based however, I found the movie to still have the ability to keep you on your toes despite the lack of differing sets. The costumes are also really well done and they were awarded an Oscar for costume design, rightfully so. I would definitely recommend this movie as it is a magnificent period piece, truly showing the dichotomy of black life in the South and the North, in ways you wouldn't expect.

Acho de uma riqueza a cultura R&B, Blues e Soul, estilos que vinham da cultura negra e apresentavam artistas com vozes belíssimas, que carregavam um poder enorme. Em tese o filme boa parte é voltado a grava??o do disco da cantora e ícone representado por Viola Davis 'Ma Rainey' que entregou uma bela atua??o diga-se de passagem, se nota no filme que o foco foi aquele único dia no estúdio, e também aparece muitas histórias dos músicos que trabalhavam com ela relatando o racismo e como era tratado as pessoas negras no passado. No filme a Ma se impunha a atitude de uma original 'Big Momma' (Haha) e fazia quest?o de ter as suas exigências atendidas, por outro lado eu acredito se contasse a história dela desde pequena seria muito mais interessante, percebo hoje em dia nos filmes biográficos ficam presos num momento só ex: O filme de Judy Garland, para entender a história é necessário mostrar toda a juventude, momentos de como foi a ascens?o, que até teve no come?o mas foi pouco, e o triste final também que foi trágico da morte de um dos músicos, que morreu no estúdio mesmo, foi um tanto quanto chocante, esperava do filme mais detalhes da carreira de Ma.

Mother of the Blues, Ma Rainey’s biography film. The movie solely depicts one of their recording session in Universal Studios. Chadwick Boseman’s remarkable acting is what makes this film great.