Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Netflix | Release Date: November 25, 2020

6.7	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 174 Ratings

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Camwhit0196Feb 27, 2021

I hate to speak ill of the dead but Chadwick is not good in this movie. He does alot of shouting and talking about racism but thats about it. Viola is actually very good when she shows up and i enjoyed the parts which involved her alot more.I hate to speak ill of the dead but Chadwick is not good in this movie. He does alot of shouting and talking about racism but thats about it. Viola is actually very good when she shows up and i enjoyed the parts which involved her alot more. The production design looks like a cheap made for tv movie and the only good thing was the costumes.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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UncleWillardDec 4, 2020

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. The only reason this is getting the reviews it is getting is because it's a black story. In reality, it's been done to death in better ways. Totally boring. Chaswick Boseman is not a great actor. He just died tragically young.

5 of 19 users found this helpful514

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deadangel04Dec 22, 2020

Chadwick Boseman was a really good actor and before his untimely passing he had already given us one amazing, Oscar-worthy performance that was sadly ignored by the Academy. That was portraying Jackie Robinson, a really great andChadwick Boseman was a really good actor and before his untimely passing he had already given us one amazing, Oscar-worthy performance that was sadly ignored by the Academy. That was portraying Jackie Robinson, a really great and inspirational character in the movie "42". His acting here is still pretty good, but his character is not inspirational at all and he doesn't resemble a real character, a real person, he actually feels like a caricature as all of the characters in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom". Even Ma Rainey, who was an actual person and not a fictional character as the rest of them, feels like a caricature despite Viola Davis' amazing performance. Unfortunately it's not easy to adapt a play into a movie and as a film, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is subpar, lacking a good script, solid characters, actual build-up, focus, any essence at all. I mean, what was the point after all? The emotion is there in some scenes, but it doesn't lead anywhere and in that regard, those scenes feel pointless in the end. And this film isn't even about the music as some people might think. Not at all actually! This isn't even a proper antiracist movie. And the ending was the worst and the most unsatisfying movie ending I've seen in a while. Seriously now, Chadwick Boseman deserved better...… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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Mauro_LanariDec 24, 2020

(Mauro Lanari)
This doesn't even feel like a play adapted for film. It's really just a theatrical play that was filmed, an uninterrupted river of words, indeed sermons, each more boring than the other. No trace of cinematic art. Farewell to(Mauro Lanari)
This doesn't even feel like a play adapted for film. It's really just a theatrical play that was filmed, an uninterrupted river of words, indeed sermons, each more boring than the other. No trace of cinematic art. Farewell to Boseman and hopefully to Wakanda.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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FilmolFeb 27, 2021

This was one of my highly anticipated films. With a cast lead by Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman based on play by August Wilson, I was prepared for greatness but was disappointed. The main reasons this film didn’t succeed was dueThis was one of my highly anticipated films. With a cast lead by Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman based on play by August Wilson, I was prepared for greatness but was disappointed. The main reasons this film didn’t succeed was due to the direction and screen adaption of the play. There were several films this year based on plays but Ma Rainey was the one that failed to translate to the screen.

Boseman was engaging, he along with the band members were the most interesting part of the film. With no disrespect, Boseman’s performance felt stagey as if he was trying to convey a major scene by emoting louder and faster. I thought I accidentally missed Davis’ scenes because she was hardly in the film. I believe in quality over quantity but even with that consideration her role didn’t make a lasting impact I would expect from a leading role. And Davis’ lip syncing didn’t help her performance. I realize the sense of claustrophobia in the band room is to reflect society’s oppression but overall the film felt stunted and never fully realized.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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