In 2015, Oscar winner and theater vet Denzel Washington struck a deal with HBO to adapt all 10 of August Wilson’s Century Cycle plays into films. The deal's first product was the critically acclaimed adaptation of Fences. Next in the cycle is Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Starring Oscar winner Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in his final film role, the film is a day in the life drama centered around a recording session for “Mother of the Blues” Gertrude “Ma” Rainey in Chicago. Being a Wilson adaption comes with its own expectations, but being the final film appearance for Boseman adds another degree of anticipation. Does Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom repeat the success of Fences or is it a sophomore jinx for the Century Cycle film series?
To accurately rate the acting in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom's, the slogan from the world’s premier chicken restaurant, Zaxby’s, must be applied – it’s indescribably good. The cast puts on an acting clinic that demonstrates to audiences and future performers what acting looks when done right.
Davis adds another flawless performance to her long resume of excellence despite being starkly different from her past roles. Davis’s characters usually have a poise about them regardless of status and situation, but this role is a complete departure from that.
She is sassy, uncompromising, and proud as Rainey gets unapproving stares from passersby or battling anyone who gives less than what she demands. However, Davis seamlessly integrates the brooding of a weary star who in isolation hurts from not getting her proper due as an innovator and grapples with insecurity because of threats professionally and personally. Davis’s performance is the elements of blues personified.
Boseman gives what is by far the best performance of his career. That is not a slight to anything else in his filmography, but Boseman's Levee is just that far above any of his other roles.
Similar to his wildly underrated performance as James Brown in Get On Up, Boseman emits a magnetic energy that instantly wins you over as his Levee boasts about his musical talents and ambitions throughout the film. As charmed as that leaves you, Boseman makes his mark with the monologues that come when a triggered Levee falls into a dark rabbit hole that reveals pieces of his painful past. They break your heart but are nothing short of magnificent.
Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, and Michael Potts have smaller parts but are no less impressive. The trio hits all the right marks acting as elder statesmen and buffers to Levee as he clashes with Rainey and her wishes.
Behind the camera, George C. Wolfe’s direction and Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s script do an exceptional job bringing Wilson’s work to the screen and still maintaining a theater feel despite a few tweaks for a more palatable transition to film. That theater feel is amplified by the fast but not rushed pacing of the story and the sharp dialog that moves it along. Branford Marsalis’s score and Ann Roth’s costume design are also highlights.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom should be on everyone’s best films of 2020 list. It’s another fine cinematic reproduction of Wilson’s work that accurately depicts the highs and lows of Black life in America in the past and connects to its current state. It superbly packs a noble tribute to an underappreciated artist, a history lesson, and a cautionary tale into 95 entertaining minutes. However, it’s the acting that makes this one special. Davis continued to show why she’s among the best in Hollywood while introducing another layer of her vast range. Boseman serves up an absolute gem and should, at a minimum, be in the best actor conversation for every major film award. It’s easy to posthumously reward him for an underappreciated body of work tragically cut short by his passing. However, Boseman’s work in this film deserves that level of praise sans the painful notion. Not only is Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom a must-see – it’s a must-see multiple times in the same weekend.
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