Chadwick Boseman stars in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.David Lee/Netflix
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
- Directed by George C. Wolfe
- Written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, based on the play by August Wilson
- Starring Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo and Viola Davis
- Classification R; 94 minutes
Going into Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, I knew I’d be hit hard by seeing Chadwick Boseman in his final performance. At just 43 years old, he died of cancer this past August while the film was in post-production, his illness kept hidden from even his closest colleagues.
Watching a film knowing it will be the last time you see a true talent immortalized on screen is a wildly moving experience. And with Ma Rainey – a film that is stacked with talent, chemistry and life – fans of Boseman couldn’t ask for a better goodbye.
Like 2016′s Fences, Ma Rainey is an adaption of an August Wilson play and stars Viola Davis. This film is based on the real Ma Rainey, who’s known as the Mother of Blues. Taking place mostly over a blisteringly hot afternoon in 1920s Chicago, we find Ma Rainey (played by Davis) and her band dealing with the seemingly straightforward task of recording music for a new album. What follows over the course of the afternoon is a power struggle between Ma, her ambitious and charismatic trumpeter Levee (Boseman), and her white management.
Ma Rainey director George C. Wolfe on Chadwick Boseman’s final performance: ‘Extraordinary ferocity’
Viola Davis is, unsurprisingly, a wonder in the title role.David Lee/Netflix
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a hurricane of a movie. Laughter quickly turns into argument and raw confrontations and discussions about where this group of talented black musicians see their place in the world. Members of Ma’s band just want to record and get out, with leader Cutler (played with such warmth by Colman Domingo) trying to keep peace between Ma and Levee, and Levee and the rest of the band. Levee is set out to start his own group, and previously contacted Ma’s management to rearrange her hit song Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom so it’s less blues and more dance-y. Ma wants things done her way.
Surprising nobody, Davis is a wonder as Ma Rainey. Ma’s short fuse and temperamental nature have less to do with being an artist with an inflated ego and everything to do with understanding where she belongs – something that becomes clear as the film progresses. She knows her worth, even if the white people who hold the strings don’t, and her confrontational nature is explored in such a nuanced way. After one particularly tense argument (one of several throughout the film), Ma explains to Cutler how she understands the game she’s playing. “All they want is my voice,” she says of her white management. “They’re gonna treat me how I want to be treated, no matter how much I hurt them.”
Both Ma and Levee have an insatiable appetite for doing things their own way, which constantly has them butting heads. Their sameness is exactly what makes the two talented hotheads such a delight to watch as they both fight for what little power they have over their talent,
It’s difficult to know where to begin when reviewing Boseman’s final performance. But to see him on screen one last time, full of charisma, charm and warmth, is nothing short of heartbreaking and almost too difficult to watch. Under the expert direction of Wolfe and a sharp, cutting script, it’s hard to not think of a reality in which Boseman had more performances like this under his belt.
David Lee/Netflix
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is available to stream on Netflix starting Dec. 18
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