Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

I'm not quite sure what to think about Ma Rainey's Black Bottom now that I'm ~ 12 hours removed from seeing it. 

On one hand, it's a powerful display of acting from nearly everyone involved, especially Boseman and Davis. The script is equally as much a character. 

On the other hand, this is a film based on a play that takes place in [basically] a single location, can tend to be boring, and left me asking, "What the f**k?" with its ending. 

I could just end my review right there and it would be the shortest one I've ever written but there's more nuance to a film like this and I think it ultimately comes down to whether or not this is a film for you. 

Me? I can appreciate what's here, but this was not a film for me. Not to mention I'm still weirded out by the ending. 

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (which will be referred to as Black Bottom moving forward because I ain't typing all that) is about a lot of things, but the most basic would be Ma Rainey trying to record an album along with her jazz band. Within her jazz band there's some rising tensions between members and Ma Rainey herself is getting stressed and annoyed with the day at hand. This thus creates the drama that we get here. 

I tread carefully when I say this but our two premiere characters just aren't very likable. Their backstory more than explains why they are the way they are and I suppose that's part of the point. They aren't there for you to like, they're there to have a discussion. Despite that however, this is a film - and a film of a play - and I felt like the "entertainment" of what's supposed to be here didn't transfer over. Perhaps I'm missing the mark here, but while the performances of these characters are compelling, I found their behavior and actions in this microcosm of their lives to be annoying. Ma Rainey is consistently a diva with semi-ridiculous demands and while her back context explains the why because of this, it still creates an aggravating character. Boseman's Levee isn't annoying throughout, but the problematic ending suddenly made me hate his character. 

And let's talk about that ending for a moment, sans spoilers. This is where I'm not sure if the film or the play is the subject of poor source material but I have to be frank: it's a dumb ending. It comes out of nowhere, is completely unnecessary, and both my fiancée and I had to ask ourselves: did that really just happen? Why? Maybe there's some grander meaning I'm missing, but it was an odd cap on a film I was already disappointed by thus further souring my opinion on it. 

Black Bottom also suffers from the "one location" problem that I dislike in most films. This could be personal preference, but I find this tactic eats up a lot of any film's energy. Black Bottom, for example, is a 90 minute movie (short by most standards) that feels 2+ hours long. I attribute that almost directly to the fact that we're in a single building and 2-3 rooms of said building the entire time. Plays and movies have different energies and different venues. Sitting at home watching this movie of a play was void of much energy. 

One of the more bulls**t parts of 2020 is losing this guy out of nowhere

Where you will find energy however is within the script and performances. I can say all I want about the source material or how the film translates, but this is an actor's movie, through and through. Davis portrayal of Ma Rainey swings between eccentric diva and a black woman who's seen much pain and wants to transfer some of it. Boseman's Levee is one of his career bests as we learn more about the character and his past. He's required to swing wildly between emotions of anger, grief, humor, and more and his performance is the most captivating part of the film. They - and the rest of the crew - are supported with a strong script. Despite where the source material may go (or the fact they use the N-word more times than a Tarantino film), the words on the page are poetic, well chosen, and come fast.

If you're watching Black Bottom for Boseman's final performance, then proceed. You'll find a lot to enjoy and you're getting Viola Davis' performance as a bonus, but if watching really good acting isn't enough to get you to watch a film (trust me, some days it's not for me) then this will likely disappoint you. I didn't find much else here. 

CONS

• The single location element - like many films before it - saps the energy
• What an odd, unnecessary ending!
• Our two main characters aren't all that likable

PROS

• Powerhouse performances from Davis and Boseman. Boseman's in particular is fascinating to watch (the film gets its energy back from him) while also heartbreaking
• Has a lot of important topics to discuss (though I'm not sure it does so effectively)
• Great music when there is some and the time period is captured well

Rath's Review Score | 6.5/10