Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
85%RT Audience Score: 72%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
82 wins & 191 nominations total
Framed by a pair of powerhouse performances, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom pays affectionate tribute to a blues legend — and Black culture at large
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a film that will leave you wanting more, but not in a bad way. Viola Davis is amazing as Ma Rainey, but Chadwick Boseman steals the show as Levee. The music is fantastic and the story is both heartbreaking and uplifting. It’s a must-watch for anyone who loves great acting and powerful storytelling. Plus, it’s a great reminder that we should all appreciate the blues a little more.
Production Company(ies)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Distributor
Netflix
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Netflix), Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violence
Year of Release
2020
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.00 : 1
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Runtime:1h 34m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 25, 2020 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 18, 2020
Genre(s)
Music
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Chadwick Boseman – Levee
Glynn Turman – Toledo
Colman Domingo – Cutler
Michael Potts – Slow Drag
Taylour Paige – Dussie Mae
Director – George C. Wolfe
Producers – Todd Black, Denzel Washington, Dany Wolf
Writer – Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Director(s)
George C. Wolfe
Writer(s)
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Producer(s)
Todd Black, Denzel Washington, Dany Wolf
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
82 wins & 191 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Costume Design Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (307) | Top Critics (75) | Fresh (299) | Rotten (8)
The focus of the film is more on Levee, Chadwick Boseman’s character. It felt like Viola was the pull but I was left wanting to learn even more about Ma Rainey than before. However, that’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the film because I absolutely did.
April 13, 2022
Shelli Nicole
Autostraddle
TOP CRITIC
The sense that we’re beholden to the whims of unseen forces-that we’re not the protagonists of our own stories-cuts deep in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
March 21, 2021
Roxana Hadadi
Pajiba
TOP CRITIC
The story concerns itself chiefly with the role of music in documenting and, in some cases, defusing the unspeakable pains that birthed the blues.
March 2, 2021
Hannah Giorgis
The Atlantic
TOP CRITIC
Acting doesn’t come much bolder and more blistering than in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
January 27, 2021
Nick Schager
Esquire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Each of the actors rises to the occasion in this production, riding a wave of heat crafted by screenwriter and Wilson whisperer Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
January 20, 2021
Soraya Nadia McDonald
Andscape
TOP CRITIC
The downside to the film’s almost musical rhythm is that it never quite transcends its stagey feel… On the other hand, it’s hard to argue against the power of seeing Boseman or Davis’ faces fill the screen.
January 12, 2021
Angie Han
Mashable
TOP CRITIC
Boseman and Davis are the most alluring attractions in this talented ensemble, all giving great work for the purpose of, once again, exposing the intricate and distinct tales of the Black experience.
June 5, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
Josh Parham
Next Best Picture
It’s one of the most thoroughly well-rounded, excellently made films of the year.
May 20, 2022
John Paul King
Washington Blade
Boseman, in his final role, gives the performance of his life.
March 13, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Reddish
Queerty
Moments of joy are interwoven with pain, as Chadwick Boseman bids farewell with a performance that sums up the authentic brilliance of his career.
February 28, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
James Luxford
City AM
Washingon, backed by the Wilson estate, plans to adapt all ten entries in the Pittsburgh Cycle to the screen. If they each end up like Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, audiences have a wealth of layered, intricately written films in their future.
February 17, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
There’s no easy to way to say this: Davis is horrendously miscast in the role.
November 5, 2021
Cate Young
Thirty, Flirty + Film…
Plot
Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Academy Award® winner Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) – who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry – spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives. Adapted from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson’s play, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM celebrates the transformative power of the blues and the artists who refuse to let society’s prejudices dictate their worth. Directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted for the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, the film is produced by Fences Oscar® nominees Denzel Washington and Todd Black. Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige and Dusan Brown co-star alongside Grammy® winner Branford Marsalis’ score.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
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