Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
Blues music isn’t exactly my forte, to be frank, but I appreciate all music and there are some amazing pieces of Blues music out there that would absolutely listen to. I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to music and since I can’t sing or play an instrument, I find myself drawn to movies that revolve around the art of music. Whether you’re talking about Sing Street or Baby Driver, some of my favourite films over the last decade involved a heavy musical accent. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was one of the latest 2020 films to be released on Netflix, and I had a great time sitting in a room with these characters for 90 minutes. Here’s why I believe this film is worth your time.
Going into this film, I had no prior knowledge of it being based on a play. Throughout the entire duration, I continuously said to myself that it looks and feels like the kind of story that would work great as a play. Taking place entirely at a recording studio as Ma Rainey and her band get together, it’s all about the characters here. For films that take place in one location, it all comes down to how talented your performers are and if they can carry the weight of the overall story. There were times where I found myself wondering what the point of the movie was, but I quickly realized that the statement of the film, along with the terrific performances were all this film was trying to showcase.
Viola Davis as Ma Rainey is truly something to marvel at, as her devotion to this incredibly demanding woman leaps off the screen. On top of her stellar performance, Chadwick Boseman delivers his final live-action performance here as Levee and there are times when this film is at its highest note whenever he is delivering a massive monologue. His character is incredibly troubled, making it hard to like him after certain actions, but I was sucked in every time the camera would push in on him. Without the film being very eventful at all, quite a lot still happens throughout.
Director George C. Wolfe hasn’t exactly had a lot of time in the director’s chair in the past, but having seen Nights in Rodanthe over ten years ago, it was clear he wasn’t someone to ignore. No, I didn’t love Nights in Rodanthe, but his promise as a director was on full display. With that said, I’m pretty comfortable calling Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom his best effort yet. His careful handling of character and the wonderful performances he was able to pull off his cast here was terrific. If for nothing else, this is a movie that feels like a play, littered with talent.
In the end, aside from a surprising, yet abrupt conclusion, there’s not much to dislike about this film. It’s just that there’s not a lot of meat to the story here. It’s literally about a band recording at a studio, with a lot of conflict between characters. I really enjoyed watching this film for what it was, but it didn’t quite give me enough to want to praise it. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is now streaming on Netflix, and although it’s not a film that will stick in your mind forever, it’s a very, very solid watch. I recommend checking it out.
Rating: 4/5
Check out the trailer below:
