Review: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom could be characterized as a battle of wills. Based on a true story about a popular Blues singer in the 1920s, the August Wilson adaptation is a showcase for its two leads: Viola Davis as the no-nonsense band leader, Ma Rainey, and Chadwick Boseman as Levee the fiery and ambitious trumpet player. In a string of stage-to-screen adaptations in 2020, (One Night in Miami and The Prom among others) it’s an interesting time to consume stories that were originally conceived for the confines of a theater stage in a time when we are already feeling the claustrophobia of quarantine.
While the film wrestles with some interesting and timely themes about the Black experience in Jim-Crow era America and the power play between Levee and Ma Rainey as they’re competing visions for the band are set in a context in which they’re already fighting against intense persecution from a White majority, this film felt like the least cinematic of the bunch of adaptations to be released this year. Despite its flaws, the film is a moving tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman whose performance in this film acts as a swan song at the end of a groundbreaking career. Even if the film doesn’t quite deliver on the cinematic experience, it’s at least a worthy watch to appreciate the performances from two of the greatest actors of our time.