ReelBob: ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ ★★★★

By Bob Bloom

A shroud of melancholy hangs over the film adaptation of August Wilson’s play “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

But it is not the movie itself. Rather, it’s a sadness from all the artistry we no longer enjoy because of the passing of Chadwick Boseman.

If nothing else, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” will stand as a testament to his brilliant talent. While watching Boseman perform, you start thinking of all the lost opportunities and challenges before him. The only other time I had these emotions was after the passing of Heath Ledger.

In “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Boseman plays Levee, a brash, conceited, cocky and ambitious trumpeter, chafing at simply being an anonymous horn player in Ma Rainey’s blues music backup band.

He wants the spotlight and is cocksure enough in his talent to dream of fronting his own band.

Most of the movie is set in a 1927 Chicago recording studio where Rainey and her group are scheduled to record a few songs.

We first meet Ma’s quartet — Levee, trombonist Cutler (Coleman Domingo), pianist Toledo (Glynn Turman) and bassist Slow Dog (Michael Potts) — as they await her arrival at the studio.

From the outset, you notice the tension between Levee and the others. They are worldly and know, as black men, what to expect from the white-managed music industry.

But Levee is naïve, believing that Sturdyvant (Jonathan Coyne), head of the music company, wants to record Levee and his high-stepping compositions.

Boseman shows that Levee’s motor-mouthed bravado masks a tortured and hurt young man, scarred by the violation of his mother by a group of white men and the lynching of his father, who sought revenge for the brutal act.

Levee is a belching volcano on the brink of a violent eruption. He listens to no one, pushing even Ma Rainey to the edge, arguing with her over musical arrangements and interpretations of the songs she has popularized.

Boseman’s final performance is also his best and most complex.

As Rainey, Viola Davis presents an imperious, imposing and demanding figure. Buried under a thick coat of eye makeup and with gold teeth, she is a force of nature who knows that white record executives see her only as a voice, not a human being.

She is a proud and defiant black woman who flouts her young girlfriend, Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige), as easily as her indignation when she feels her dignity is threatened by the prodding of Sturdyvant or her white manager, Irvin (Jeremy Shamos).

An atmosphere of foreboding — and some dread — hovers over the movie. You don’t know why, but you sense that Levee surely is involved.

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is a great movie, an artistic achievement. The film does not hit a flat note.

The movie, which will have a short theatrical run, will debut Dec. 18 on Netflix. If you can’t or are nervous about seeing it in a theater, catch it at home.

But see it. You will not be sorry. Chadwick Boseman’s memorable final gift to us should be seen.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
4 stars out of 4
(R), language, sexual content, some violence