# Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (film)

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a 2020 American drama film directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, based on the 1982 play of the same name by August Wilson. The film stars Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts. Inspired by the career of Ma Rainey, an influential blues singer and the title character, the film dramatizes a turbulent recording session in 1920s Chicago.
Produced by Denzel Washington, Todd Black, and Dany Wolf, the project was originally announced alongside Washington's Fences in 2013 as part of his ten-picture deal with HBO. The adaptation eventually moved to Netflix and filming began in Pittsburgh in 2019. Boseman died during post-production in August 2020, making Black Bottom his final film appearance. The film is dedicated to his memory.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom began a limited theatrical release on November 25, 2020, before beginning to stream on Netflix on December 18. Critics praised the performances of Davis, Boseman, and Turman as well as the costume design and production values. It was named as one of the ten best films of 2020 by the American Film Institute. The film received five nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, including Best Actor (for Boseman), Best Actress (for Davis), and won two awards: Makeup and Hairstyling and Costume Design. Additionally, the film received eight Critics' Choice Movie Award nominations and nine NAACP Image Award nominations, including Outstanding Motion Picture, with Davis and Boseman both winning lead acting awards. Davis and Boseman also won lead acting awards for their performances at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, making them the first African-American actors in history to win in leading categories in the same year; both received nominations at the Golden Globes, with Boseman posthumously winning Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.

## Plot

Ma Rainey is a highly regarded, strong-willed blues singer who has recently been contracted by white producers to record an album. The story takes place on July 2, 1927, when the first recording session is scheduled for Ma by her manager Irvin to take place at Paramount's Recording Studios in Chicago. Seasoned Georgia Jazz Band members Toledo, Cutler, and Slow Drag arrive on time without Ma, which frustrates producer Mel Sturdyvant. They are soon joined by Levee Green, the band's overconfident trumpeter, who has shown Sturdyvant his original compositions in the hopes of getting his own record deal. The other musicians find Levee's behavior disrespectful to Ma. Teased by the rest of the band about his ability to deal with white men, Levee relates how his mother was gang-raped in front of him. His father killed four of the rapists but was then lynched and burned.
Ma arrives an hour late with her lady friend, Dussie Mae, and her nephew, Sylvester. Immediately, she clashes with Sturdyvant and Irvin, making numerous demands. Insulted that the Coca-Cola she requested has not been provided, Ma refuses to sing until Slow Drag and Sylvester bring her one. Later, she insists to Sturdyvant that the opening words of the album be spoken by Sylvester (who has a pronounced stutter) so he can receive royalties. As a result, the group has to do multiple takes of the song “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom," much to everyone's frustration.
Ma confides to Cutler that her white bosses are only interested in her voice and would otherwise regard her as "just a dog in the alley", which he understands and sympathizes with. Meanwhile, Levee and Dussie Mae have sex in the practice room before being interrupted by Slow Drag.
The group finally manages to get through the first track after multiple takes, but discovers an equipment failure has caused it not to be recorded. The band blames Levee, who they think tripped over a wire while eyeing Dussie Mae, though it is revealed to have been damaged already. Their argument leads the religious Cutler to tell a story about a preacher he once knew who got stranded in a small town and was humiliated by a group of white men who tore up his Bible and forced him to dance. Levee brushes off the story by retorting that if there was a God, he would care for black people, which he never has. Cutler attacks Levee in anger, and the young man forces him back with a knife while continuing to belittle his beliefs.
The group finally finishes recording, but Ma fires Levee soon afterward, believing his reckless ambition and uncompromising attitude to be detrimental to the band. Levee meets with Sturdyvant about his original songs, but learns that the producer will only buy the rights and never intended to give him a deal. Levee subsequently suffers a mental breakdown and, after Toledo accidentally steps on his new shoes, fatally stabs him in the back with the knife. Cutler and Slow Drag leave in horror as Levee cradles Toledo's corpse. Later, Sturdyvant records Levee's songs with a band consisting entirely of white musicians (supposedly Paul Whiteman's Orchestra).

## Cast

* Chadwick Boseman as Levee Green
* Viola Davis as Ma Rainey
** Maxayn Lewis as Ma's singing voice.
* Glynn Turman as Toledo
* Colman Domingo as Cutler
* Michael Potts as Slow Drag
* Jonny Coyne as Mel Sturdyvant
* Taylour Paige as Dussie Mae
* Jeremy Shamos as Irvin
* Dusan Brown as Sylvester
* Joshua Harto as Policeman
* Quinn VanAntwerp as Band Singer

## Production
### Development

Denzel Washington initially had a deal with the television network HBO to produce nine of the playwright August Wilson's plays into films, with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom among them. By June 2019, the deal had been moved to Netflix. Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts had been cast in the film, with George C. Wolfe set to direct. In July 2019, Taylour Paige, Jonny Coyne, Jeremy Shamos, and Dusan Brown joined the cast of the film. Maxayn Lewis did most of Rainey's singing for Davis. Jeffrey Wright was originally expected to join the film.

### Filming

Filming commenced on July 8, 2019 in Pittsburgh, with sets converted into 1927 Chicago, and wrapped on August 16, 2019.
On August 28, 2020, Boseman died of colon cancer during post-production, making Ma Rainey's Black Bottom his final film appearance. The film is dedicated to him.

## Release

The film was theatrically released in select theaters on November 25, 2020, before beginning to stream on December 18, on Netflix. Netflix also released a 31-minute making-of documentary Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: A Legacy Brought to Screen alongside the film. Upon its digital release to Netflix, the film was the most-watched item over its opening weekend.

## Reception
### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 301 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Framed by a pair of powerhouse performances, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom pays affectionate tribute to a blues legend — and Black culture at large." According to Metacritic, which compiled 46 reviews and calculated a weighted average score of 87 out of 100.
For the Los Angeles Times, Justin Chang wrote "Boseman, evincing the same integrity he clung to his entire career, refuses to soft-pedal the destination. He imparts to this seething, shattered man the gift of a broken soul, driven by anger and trauma, and makes him all the more human for it. His final moments of screen time are among his darkest, and also his finest." Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a "B" grade and praised Davis and Boseman's performances, saying: "All of this would be more concerning if Ma Rainey's Black Bottom didn't turn on Wilson's crackling dialogue and a jazzy pace on par with the music. Above all, the movie amounts to a solid resurrection that doesn't muck up the bulk of what made the play click in the first place."
Peter Travers, reviewing the film for ABC News, said: "Davis plays the real-life Ma Rainey, the Georgia singer dubbed the Mother of the Blues. Boseman invests body and soul into Levee, the hot-headed trumpeter who dares to lock horns with Ma in a shabby Chicago recording studio where they're paid to make music the way the white bosses want it. The time is 1927, but the bristling racial tensions feel as timely as ever."

### Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| AACTA Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Actor – International | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| AACTA Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Actress – International | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards | March 28, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards | March 28, 2021 | Best Director | George C. Wolfe | Nominated | |
| AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards | March 28, 2021 | Best Screenwriter | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Nominated | |
| AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards | March 28, 2021 | Best Time Capsule | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Nominated | |
| AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards | March 28, 2021 | Best Ensemble | The cast of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards | April 25, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards | April 25, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards | April 25, 2021 | Best Costume Design | Ann Roth | Won | |
| Academy Awards | April 25, 2021 | Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Sergio López-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson | Won | |
| Academy Awards | April 25, 2021 | Best Production Design | Mark Ricker, Karen O'Hara and Diana Stoughton | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 4, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 4, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| American Film Institute Awards | February 26, 2021 | Top 10 Movies of the Year | Top 10 Movies of the Year | Won | |
| Art Directors Guild Awards | April 10, 2021 | Excellence in Production Design for a Period Film | Mark Ricker | Nominated | |
| BET Awards | June 27, 2021 | Best Movie | Best Movie | Nominated | |
| BET Awards | June 27, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman (also for Da 5 Bloods) | Won | |
| BET Awards | June 27, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Motion Picture | Denzel Washington, Todd Black and Dany Wolf | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Actress | Viola Davis | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Supporting Actor | Colman Domingo | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Screenplay | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Ensemble | Avy Kaufman | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male | Dusan Brown | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding First Screenplay | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Costume Design | Ann Roth | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Production Design | Mark Ricker | Nominated | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | December 13, 2020 | Best Ensemble Cast | The cast of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Won | |
| British Academy Film Awards | April 11, 2021 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Chadwick Boseman | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | April 11, 2021 | Best Costume Design | Ann Roth | Won | |
| British Academy Film Awards | April 11, 2021 | Best Makeup and Hair | Matiki Anoff, Larry M. Cherry, Sergio Lopez-Rivera and Mia Neal | Won | |
| Casting Society of America | April 15, 2021 | Feature Studio or Independent – Drama | Avy Kaufman, Nancy Mosser and Scotty Anderson | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 21, 2020 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Won | [36] [37] |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 21, 2020 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | [36] [37] |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 21, 2020 | Best Original Score | Branford Marsalis | Nominated | [36] [37] |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 21, 2020 | Best Costume Design | Ann Roth | Nominated | [36] [37] |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | April 13, 2021 | Excellence in Period Film | Ann Roth | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Picture | Best Picture | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Acting Ensemble | The cast of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Production Design | Mark Ricker, Karen O'Hara and Diana Stoughton | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Hair & Makeup | Matiki Anoff, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, Larry M. Cherry, Sian Richards, Deidra Dixon and Jamika Wilson | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Costume Design | Ann Roth | Won | |
| Dorian Awards | April 18, 2021 | LGBTQ Film of the Year | LGBTQ Film of the Year | Won | |
| Dorian Awards | April 18, 2021 | Best Film Performance – Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| Dorian Awards | April 18, 2021 | Best Film Performance – Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2020 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2020 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Runner-up | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2020 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Runner-up | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2020 | Best Ensemble | The cast of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom | Nominated | |
| GLAAD Media Awards | April 2021 | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | February 28, 2021 | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards | February 28, 2021 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Gotham Awards | January 11, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association | March 5, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association | March 5, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association | March 5, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association | March 5, 2021 | Best Production Design | Mark Ricker | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association | March 5, 2021 | Best Costume Design | Ann Roth | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association | March 5, 2021 | Best Ensemble Cast | The cast of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association | March 5, 2021 | Best Hair & Makeup | Matiki Anoff, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, Larry M. Cherry, Sian Richards, Deidra Dixon and Jamika Wilson | Won | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | January 27, 2021 | Best Original Score in a Feature Film | Branford Marsalis | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | April 22, 2021 | Best Feature | Best Feature | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | April 22, 2021 | Best Male Lead | Chadwick Boseman | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | April 22, 2021 | Best Female Lead | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | April 22, 2021 | Best Supporting Male | Colman Domingo | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | April 22, 2021 | Best Supporting Male | Glynn Turman | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | February 7, 2021 | Actor of the Year | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | February 7, 2021 | Actress of the Year | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | December 20, 2020 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | December 20, 2020 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Runner-up | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | December 20, 2020 | Best Supporting Actor | Glynn Turman | Won | |
| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards | April 3, 2021 | Best Period and/or Character Make-Up in a Feature-Length Motion Picture | Matiki Anoff, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Carl Fullerton and Debi Young | Won | |
| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards | April 3, 2021 | Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling in a Feature-Length Motion Picture | Mia Neal, Larry Cherry, Leah Loukas and Tywan Williams | Won | |
| Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards | April 16, 2021 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR for Feature Film | Skip Lievsay, Paul Urmson, Lidia Tamplenizza and Michael Feuser | Nominated | |
| Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards | April 16, 2021 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Musical for Feature Film | Todd Kasow and Tim Marchiafava | Nominated | |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | May 16, 2021 | Best Performance in a Movie | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 21, 2021 | Outstanding Motion Picture | Outstanding Motion Picture | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 21, 2021 | Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 21, 2021 | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Viola Davis | Won | |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 21, 2021 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Glynn Turman | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 21, 2021 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Colman Domingo | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 21, 2021 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Taylour Paige | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 21, 2021 | Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture | George C. Wolfe | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 21, 2021 | Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album | Branford Marsalis | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 21, 2021 | Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture | The cast of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom | Won | |
| National Society of Film Critics | January 9, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | 2nd Place | |
| National Society of Film Critics | January 9, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | 2nd Place | |
| National Society of Film Critics | January 9, 2021 | Best Supporting Actor | Glynn Turman | 2nd Place | |
| Online Film Critics Society | January 25, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Nominated | |
| Online Film Critics Society | January 25, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | February 11, 2021 | Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress | Viola Davis | Won | |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | March 24, 2021 | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Denzel Washington and Todd Black | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 11, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 11, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 11, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 11, 2021 | Best Costume Design | Ann Roth | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 15, 2021 | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 15, 2021 | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Chadwick Boseman | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 15, 2021 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 15, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 15, 2021 | Best Costume Design | Ann Roth | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | April 4, 2021 | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | April 4, 2021 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Viola Davis | Won | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | April 4, 2021 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Chadwick Boseman, Jonny Coyne, Viola Davis, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts and Glynn Turman | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | February 15, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | February 15, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | February 15, 2021 | Best Ensemble Cast | Avy Kaufman | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | February 15, 2021 | Best Costume Design | Ann Roth | Won | |
| Set Decorators Society of America Awards | March 31, 2021 | Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Period Feature Film | Karen O'Hara, Diana Stoughton, and Mark Ricker | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | January 17, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | January 17, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | January 17, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | January 17, 2021 | Best Production Design | Mark Ricker | Nominated | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | February 7, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Runner-up | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | February 7, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Runner-up | |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle | February 22, 2021 | Best Actor | Chadwick Boseman | Won | |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle | February 22, 2021 | Best Actress | Viola Davis | Nominated | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | March 21, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Nominated | |