"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom": Movie Review
Written By Alex Greenbaum
On August 28, 2020, Chadwick Boseman passed away due to colon cancer. His slim build and slumped posture in his very last film indicate the struggle and pain he was endlessly enduring. But Boseman's last performance is an achievement that will land him the best actor nomination and win at the Oscars and a showcase that'll go down as the most impressive performance in his career. "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is a sometimes shallow but often insightful perspective into the role of black music and culture in 1927 Chicago, and related racism, with Boseman and Viola Davis stealing almost every scene.
A seemingly self-assured and cocky trumpet player, Levee, (Boseman) butts heads with the intimidating but legendary blues artist, Ma Rainey (Davis), during a drawn-out recording session.
The dull direction by Tony award-winning George C. Wolfe ("Nights In Rodanthe") is offset by the fast witted screenplay by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (adapted from two times Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson). Not much detail or production design was implemented in the Chicago backdrop nor the recording studio where the majority of the film is located. A focus on two extraordinary acting portrayals engages terrifically, but its presentation which is more suited as a live play performance rather than a movie does take away from its plot devices.
As mentioned before, Davis and Boseman are outstanding due to their intense tackling of these complex and assertive characters. While both are bigger than life characterizations, the early 1900s influences that shaped these enormously opinionated personalities never appear to seep into satire. Rainey and Levee have such a rich and personal history, and Davis/Boseman utilize their own emotional heft to deliver their passionate lines. Unlike the film adaptation of Wilson's "Fences" (which left me without strong sentiment), "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" story is like a dart in the chest.
The film's rough production edges and uninventive storytelling hold back a world waiting to burst. Wolfe's directing style doesn't necessarily strip away the film's strongest qualities but does detract from its greater purpose. Thankfully between Davis's heart-pounding interpretation of Rainey and Boseman's fiercely confident depiction of a flawed but talented musician (and a strong supporting cast led by Colman Domingo) both end up being the heart and soul of what makes "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" a memorable undertaking.
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