IMDb RATING
6.9/10
60K
YOUR RATING
Tensions rise when trailblazing blues singer Ma Rainey and her band gather at a recording studio in Chicago in 1927.Tensions rise when trailblazing blues singer Ma Rainey and her band gather at a recording studio in Chicago in 1927.Tensions rise when trailblazing blues singer Ma Rainey and her band gather at a recording studio in Chicago in 1927.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Won 2 Oscars
- 83 wins & 192 nominations total
Johanna Elmina Moise
- Ma Rainey's Dancer
- (as Johanna Moise)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Everything in the film is perfect except for its poor direction and lack of story. Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis are spectacular, especially the former. He should get all awards for his final role which was nothing but a masterclass in acting.
I didn't really know much about this movie going in so i was surprised to find out that it was based on a play but after watching it you can see that fact from a mile off.
The film is soaked in play-like monologues and limited sets and the framing. It works so well. It is such a dialogue heavy movie that it could run the risk of being a little bit slow but it is just that well acted and the dynamics and topics are so well thought out that you find time flying by while watching.
The characters are really 3 dimensional and you understand who they are. This is all backed up by the acting. For the most part everyone in this movie hits it out of the park. i really love Colman Domingo and he really shines in this film. He just has a charm that draws you to any character that he plays. Chadwick was really great too. His emotional scenes really sweep the rug out from under your feet and i really wasn't expecting him to be able to do that he was really great. And Viola Davis is just fantastic. I love how she just dives head first into her characters and just lives in them. It reads so well on screen. She just embodies the role even down to the way she walks is just done to perfection.
There isn't a whole lot of story because it is very character based but it does things to keep it fresh and i found it to be really shocking at times and took turns that you really wouldn't expect.
The costumes are also really well done. I would guess that they would get an Oscar nod because they are fantastic.
I would defiantly see this movie especially if you love character studies and want to feel like you looking though a window into a day in the life of these people.
The film is soaked in play-like monologues and limited sets and the framing. It works so well. It is such a dialogue heavy movie that it could run the risk of being a little bit slow but it is just that well acted and the dynamics and topics are so well thought out that you find time flying by while watching.
The characters are really 3 dimensional and you understand who they are. This is all backed up by the acting. For the most part everyone in this movie hits it out of the park. i really love Colman Domingo and he really shines in this film. He just has a charm that draws you to any character that he plays. Chadwick was really great too. His emotional scenes really sweep the rug out from under your feet and i really wasn't expecting him to be able to do that he was really great. And Viola Davis is just fantastic. I love how she just dives head first into her characters and just lives in them. It reads so well on screen. She just embodies the role even down to the way she walks is just done to perfection.
There isn't a whole lot of story because it is very character based but it does things to keep it fresh and i found it to be really shocking at times and took turns that you really wouldn't expect.
The costumes are also really well done. I would guess that they would get an Oscar nod because they are fantastic.
I would defiantly see this movie especially if you love character studies and want to feel like you looking though a window into a day in the life of these people.
It's a beautiful movie. The performances are amazing and mind blowing specially by Viola Davis, that gives the year's best female performance, and Chadwick Boseman. The character study is great as well. The screenplay is awesome with many interesting and powerful lines. Cinematography, music, costumes and locations are all nice too. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a very nice movie but still it feels like it's missing something.
A lesson in the art of acting and film making, as an exceptional cast of extremely talented actors portray several hours in a recording studio, the tensions as taut as any wire, the crimes of the times and their effects on those involved in full view - crimes perpetuated into today, sadly.
Horrific overacting and a script that rambles and goes nowhere. Most of the film is taken up with individual stories about how the white man was evil, which became very tiresome very quickly. A few very daft plot twists that never went anywhere. This was more 'panto' than serious drama and those involved should be ashamed of the mess they produced. This film literally had no redeeming features
The Legacy of Chadwick Boseman
The Legacy of Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Boseman is known for his iconic performances in Get on Up, Black Panther, and his final role in the musical drama Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. IMDb takes a celebratory look at his career in film and television.
Did you know
- TriviaIn 2015, Denzel Washington announced that he would be bringing all ten of August Wilson's "Century Cycle" plays to the big or small screen. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is the second filmed Wilson adaptation Washington has produced in this cycle, after Fences (2016). In September 2020, Washington told the New York Times that the third film in the series would be The Piano Lesson, and that he hoped to cast his own son John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, with Barry Jenkins directing.
- GoofsThe action of the film takes place on July 2, 1927. Ma Rainey's car in the film is a Model A Ford which were not introduced to the public until December 1927.
- Crazy creditsDuring the first part of the credits, actual photographs of the real Ma Rainey and the musicians who inspired the characters in the play are shown.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Sky News @Breakfast: Episode dated 19 December 2020 (2020)
- SoundtracksDeep Moaning Blues
Written by Ma Rainey (as Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey)
Produced and Arranged by Branford Marsalis
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 34m(94 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.00 : 1
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