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Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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64

USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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5.8

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5.8	Your Score
5.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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Self Made: Inspired By The Life Of Madam C.J. Walker

Now Playing: Self Made: Inspired By The Life Of Madam C.J. Walker

Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

Series Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date: March 20, 2020

Summary: Octavia Spencer stars as Madam C.J. Walker, the first self-made African-American woman millionaire in this four-part limited series based on Walker's great-great-grandaughter's book On Her Own Ground.

Genre(s): Drama, Movie/Mini-Series

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Stream On

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Recent Episodes

tbd
S1:E4. A Credit to the Race
Air Date: March 20, 2020
tbd
S1:E3. The Walker Girl
Air Date: March 20, 2020
tbd
S1:E2. Bootstraps
Air Date: March 20, 2020

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

64

Positive:

7

Mixed:

8

Negative:

2

Critic Reviews

90

Los Angeles Times

Lorraine Ali

Mar 19, 2020

Season 1 Review: Fresh, lively and fast-paced period drama. ... Spencer’s performance is dazzling. ... “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” isn’t just a wonderful tribute to yet another unsung hero — it’s an engrossing and uplifting series that shines light in otherwise dark times. Read full review

85

Primetimer

Aaron Barnhart

Mar 20, 2020

Season 1 Review: Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker is a highly watchable bit of what I call rock-and-roll history. It’s a subgenre that tries to bring the past alive with modern dialogue and a ripping soundtrack. ... Spencer delivers the goods. Read full review

75

Chicago Sun-Times

Richard Roeper

Mar 19, 2020

Season 1 Review: A solid and enlightening four-part limited series debuting Friday on Netflix. Octavia Spencer carries the series every step of the way in a magnificent performance. Read full review

60

Collider Gregory Lawrence

Mar 20, 2020

Season 1 Review: Self Made, despite its incredible cast and incredible source material, feels too trapped within the “greatest hits biopic film” template, content to rush through every plot point of Walker’s life without slowing and settling to figure out who Walker is. Read full review

58

The A.V. Club

Joelle Monique

Mar 20, 2020

Season 1 Review: The show explores how Black men have told Black women to wait their turn in line, and takes a big swing at one Black leader’s history. The mapping of these issues is so blatant, they can be seen coming a mile away, but they’re managed with such enthusiasm that it’s almost endearing. Read full review

50

Newsday

Rafer Guzmán

Mar 18, 2020

Season 1 Review: A compelling if clunky drama about an important figure. Read full review

20

Time

Judy Berman

Mar 19, 2020

Season 1 Review: The talented cast can’t overcome dialogue that can be painfully stiff (“Your impeccable reputation precedes you”) or anachronistic (“on the regular,” “lying-ass liar”) but is uniformly painful. ... Normally, a show this bad would at least be amusing to watch. But when you consider the richness of the subject and the larger issues it raises—the politics of black hair, Walker’s anti-lynching work, sexism and colorism in the black community—its incompetence is just depressing. Read full review

SEE ALL 17 REVIEWS

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5.8

User Reviews

7

Stream2BigScree

Mar 28, 2020

In this time of self-quarantines, lockdowns, and shelter-in-place orders, Stream To Big Screen suggests spending some alone time with streaming content since your big screens have gone dark. Luckily, the options are plentiful for streaming content. There are many providers, which I will notIn this time of self-quarantines, lockdowns, and shelter-in-place orders, Stream To Big Screen suggests spending some alone time with streaming content since your big screens have gone dark. Luckily, the options are plentiful for streaming content. There are many providers, which I will not list; and a myriad of genres, you get the gist. Scroll and search. We give you our thoughts on some of that content which we've come across.

Last Friday, streaming behemoth, Netflix, premiered a miniseries about the American cosmetics and hair care mogul known as Madam C.J. Walker, called Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker. The miniseries stars and was produced by Academy Award winner, Octavia Spencer, with an assist for Lebron James; and the first two episodes were directed by Kasi Lemmons, who recently directed Harriet. It's probably no coincidence that Self Made was dropped in the midst of Women's History Month. Madam C.J. Walker's claim to fame is that she is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America not to mention that she is African American and made products that catered to the aesthetic needs of black women. Self Made attempts to depict the struggle and tenacity of Sarah Breedlove, who becomes Madam C.J. Walker, as she develops her business out of her own necessity and strives for greater and greater heights.

Self Made is easily digestible streaming content. It is a miniseries in the best sense. It's a generally contained and focused story. It is 4 episodes that do not try to cram the cradle-to-grave story of Madam C.J. Walker into hour long bits. The basic plotline it presents is not overly complicated. The viewer wants to see how this American success story came to be. For the most part, Self Made is successful.

On the other hand, please pay attention to the words after the colon in the title: "Inspired by." Please do not let your children use this miniseries as a basis for their history report about Madam C.J. Walker. The miniseries distills the essence of the woman, but it seems to use its dramatic license quite liberally. There are also some directorial flourishes, particularly in the first 2 episodes, that do not fit neatly in your run-of-the-mill television biopic. A storyline or two also feels too contemporary to be grounded in any fact, and therefore, those parts feel forced in for a modern audience. While they add color to the overall series, those parts devalue the remarkable nature of this African American female entrepreneur's feat as she amassed her fortune and grew her empire in the 1910's.

Besides getting some sense of the history here, watching Self Made will make you appreciate the national treasure that is Octavia Spencer. The role of Sarah Breedlove/Madam C.J. Walker is a great one, filled with pain and self-doubt that morphs into graceful diligence and steely determination. Octavia Spencer portrays the character with the intelligence that a woman like Walker would have in spades. You'll also get to say, "You go girl!", as she continues to push for more success. This is one of Spencer's best roles to date.

Spencer has two strong foils in Carmen Ejogo, who plays Madam Walker's nemesis and chief competitor in business; and, there is the namesake husband played by Blair Underwood. Both Ejogo and Underwood complement Spencer's portrayal well. Although some situations that their characters get into feel a bit contrived and can border on caricatures, each actor manages to sidestep most clichés. You might even be able to feel Ejogo reaching up to twist her villainess's proverbial moustache every now and then - her raised eyebrows show just enough of the deviousness behind her beautiful face.

The less said about Tiffany Haddish in this miniseries the better.

Ultimately, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker is a worthwhile viewing experience. For a historical piece, it is a breezy effort. Since it is only 4 episodes with each less than an hour runtime, you could binge this in less time than an Avengers movie. And, Madam C.J. Walker is like an Avenger herself, taking on the unenviable task of creating a hair care empire. Although the history within the series is questionable, it is not boring and Octavia Spencer, Carmen Ejogo and Blair Underwood bring their bests to the screen. Let Self Made pique your interest about Madam C.J. Walker and then do some actual research on your own.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

5

JLuis_001

Aug 7, 2023

Regardless of the relevance of the story, let's be frank: it should not have been produced as a miniseries. Though I understand that presenting it in this format makes it more marketable to a streaming network compared to securing distribution as a film.

It's a decent show, but aside fromRegardless of the relevance of the story, let's be frank: it should not have been produced as a miniseries. Though I understand that presenting it in this format makes it more marketable to a streaming network compared to securing distribution as a film.

It's a decent show, but aside from the commendable performances of Octavia Spencer and Carmen Ejogo, this miniseries isn't very dynamic or consequently more intense.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Seasons & Episodes

64

Series Overview
Season 1

64
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: March 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E4. A Credit to the Race
  Air Date: March 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E3. The Walker Girl
  Air Date: March 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E2. Bootstraps
  Air Date: March 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E1. The Fight of the Century
  Air Date: March 20, 2020