Movie Breakdown: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Pre-Screening Stance:
A Denzel Washington-produced adaptation of an August Wilson play that stars Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman (in his final on-screen appearance)? Yeah, that’s more than enough to get me excited about Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Post-Screening Ramble:
The setup for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is pretty simple. Cutler (Colman Domingo), Slow Drag (Michael Potts), Toldeo (Glynn Turman) and Levee (Chadwick Boseman) have been summoned for a recording session with the star of their band, Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). The “Mother of the Blues” and her guests are late though, so the four men use the extra time to warm up, verbally spar and share stories. The dialogue here is absolutely wonderful, with the late Boseman earning what should be an Oscar nomination right off the bat, and director George C. Wolfe further enhances said snappy chatter with a lot of tight shots and a very quick pace. I very much felt like I was in the room with the group as they exchanged funny jabs and heartbreaking revelations.
Eventually, Ma shows up and the film jumps into another gear. She’s aware that her manager, Irvin (Jeremy Shamos), and the recording engineer, Sturdyvant (Jonny Coyne), have no real interest in her, just her talent, so she drags them through the mud and makes them earn everything. Frankly, she’s pretty much a terror, but as the film goes along, you become rather appreciative of the fact that she has enough status to demand more from those that are aiming to exploit her. By the way, like Boseman, Davis absolutely dominates every scene she’s in, and I’ll be very surprised if she doesn’t receive a “best actress” nomination.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a gorgeously crafted film with powerhouse performances. Definitely catch it on Netflix on December 18.
One Last Thought:
As of this moment, my two “best actor” frontrunners are Chadwick Boseman (for this film) and Riz Ahmed (for Sound Of Metal). Both turn in attention-commanding performances that elevate their films. Also, shout out to Gary Oldman for Mank, but that one feels less noteworthy (or less surprising?), I suppose.
