
Di Simone Fabriziani
Il lungometraggio è tratto dalla piéce teatrale omonimo di August Wilson (Barriere), prodotto da Denzel Washington, che proprio per Barriere da lui diretto nel 2016 aveva ricevuto una candidatura come attore protagonista, e vede tra i suoi interpreti principali il premio Oscar Viola Davis e Chadwick Boseman, nel suo ultimo ruolo postumo.
Le prime reazioni di Twitter suggeriscono una campagna Oscar molto aggressiva per la Davis e per Boseman; quest'ultimo sembra in dirittura d'arrivo per una prima nomination, e una prima statuetta, mentre Viola Davis si gioca il suo secondo Oscar nel ruolo trasformativo di Ma Rainey', la cosiddetta "Madre del Blues".
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom debutta su Netflix a partire dal 18 dicembre.
La tensione sale e gli animi si scaldano durante una sessione di registrazione pomeridiana nella Chicago degli anni Venti mentre un gruppo di musicisti attende la rivoluzionaria artista e leggendaria "Madre del blues", Ma Rainey. In ritardo all'appuntamento, l'impavida e agguerrita Ma scatena uno scontro di opinioni con il suo manager e produttore bianco riguardo alla propria musica. Mentre la band aspetta nella claustrofobica sala prove dello studio di registrazione, l'ambizioso trombettista Levee, che ha una cotta per l'amica di Ma ed è determinato a lasciare la sua impronta nell'industria musicale, sprona i suoi compagni musicisti a condividere storie e verità nascoste che cambieranno per sempre il corso delle loro vite.
Fonte: IndieWire
August Wilson rookie George C. Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom will clean up at the Oscars. It’s timely in the way it shows how anger can simmer and explode. Actors will love Viola Davis as the blues singer and Chadwick Boseman as her trumpeter: he could win a posthumous Oscar.
— Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) November 15, 2020
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is a dynamic adaptation of August Wilson’s play with vibrant cinematography, music & costumes. Chadwick Boseman’s swan-song is his best with two stunning monologues that rank among some of the best ever. Viola Davis dominates the screen & all in her path. pic.twitter.com/P1iexrxQtT
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) November 15, 2020
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a scorcher. Chadwick Boseman is a class act and his delivery of August Wilson’s monologues are impeccable. I miss him. Viola Davis is magnificent, commanding the screen with every word. I’m in awe of Tobias Schliessler’s cinematography. pic.twitter.com/XaR4mUWeyR
— Jazz Tangcay (@jazzt) November 15, 2020
‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ gives us an outstanding turn from Viola Davis but it’s Chadwick Boseman that leaves it all out on floor in a stellar, Sidney Poitier-level, Oscar-worthy performance. Colman Domingo gives excellent support and Branford Marsalis’s score is aces. pic.twitter.com/deH4QpQS1h
— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) November 15, 2020
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the best work on film in Chadwick Boseman’s too-brief career. It is also the best piece of writing he had to work with. The film doesn’t escape its theatrical organization origins, but might be the most fully realized film in Netflix’s award arsenal.
— David “Trump = Loser” Poland (@DavidPoland) November 15, 2020
MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM has Chadwick Boseman unload every ounce of himself on screen. Everything he could/would offer cinema is entrenched in his Levee. Viola Davis is magnificent (smaller role than expected). Adore Glynn Turman & want #Oscars to know it too. #FilmTwitter pic.twitter.com/Sibay5Ru46
— Clayton Davis (@AwardsCircuit) November 15, 2020
Welcome to the awards race, Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, stars of Netflix’s Denzel Washington-produced MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM! https://t.co/NLpp9d6tKG pic.twitter.com/hQpWjG4PDQ
— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) November 15, 2020
Thought Viola Davis was excellent in MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM. A commanding performance with plenty of subtext that serves as the truthful core of the succinct story. She is always great, and this movie adds to her outstanding filmography. pic.twitter.com/aI9mUWFQmL
— Carlos Aguilar (@Carlos_Film) November 15, 2020
Viola Davis gives a performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" that should win a Tony, an Emmy, and an Oscar. Hell, I'd throw in a Grammy too. An indelible Wilson performance -- as good as her Tony-winning work in "Fences." An incarnation of the blues in acting. 1/3
— Charles McNulty (@CharlesMcNulty) November 15, 2020