--- title: "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ma-raineys-black-bottom/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/ma-raineys-black-bottom" critics_score: 72 critics_reviews: 30 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020): what the critics said Critics' score 72 from 30 reviews: 22 positive, 4 mixed, 4 negative. Most critics like George C. Wolfe’s adaptation of August Wilson’s play, and nearly all of them like it for the same reason. Chadwick Boseman’s Levee, his final screen performance, is praised in almost every review, for the speeches, the restlessness and the slide from charm into rage. Viola Davis’s Ma Rainey is the second name on most lists, described as commanding by review after review, with the crackling ensemble scenes close behind. The reservations cluster around the staging. Many reviews find the film stage-bound, the speeches sitting awkwardly on camera and the direction doing little to open them up. A few think the story belongs to Ma and resent Levee taking it over; Sight and Sound and Little White Lies both wish it had stayed with her. The spread is wide at the bottom: The New Yorker finds it dull and visually inert, and Vulture calls it a lifeless recorded play, objecting to Davis’s performance and to the handling of Ma’s queerness while still admiring Boseman. ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2020. Chang praises the adaptation as urgent and sharply focused, with Boseman delivering a spellbinding final performance. He especially singles out Boseman’s intense, physically vivid portrayal of Levee, while also praising Davis’s commanding Ma Rainey. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-11-20/review-ma-raineys-black-bottom-netflix-boseman-davis) ## The AV Club — Shannon Miller Rating A-. 20 November 2020. Miller praises the film as a reverent, compelling adaptation, ultimately centered on Chadwick Boseman’s final screen performance. She singles out Boseman’s electrifying delivery of August Wilson’s dialogue, while also praising Viola Davis and the ensemble. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/ma-rainey-s-black-bottom-is-one-final-brilliant-showca-1845684357) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 88/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2020. Bradshaw praises the film as a ferocious, intelligent drama, though he finds some of its theatrical speeches contrived. He singles out the powerful performances of Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis, especially Boseman’s emotionally transparent portrayal. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/20/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review-chadwick-boseman-viola-davis) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2020. Rooney finds the adaptation uniquely powerful, though its theatrical roots remain visible. He especially praises Chadwick Boseman’s emotionally explosive final performance. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/ma-raineys-black-bottom-film-review-4095108/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critics Pick. 20 November 2020. Debruge praises the film as a powerful, timely drama about Black artistry and exploitation. He singles out Chadwick Boseman’s restless, layered performance, while also highlighting Viola Davis’s commanding portrayal of Ma Rainey. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review-chadwick-boseman-viola-davis-1234835504/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 4/5. 18 December 2020. O’Sullivan finds the adaptation compelling, especially because of Boseman and Davis’s performances. She criticizes Davis’s singing and calls the direction unimaginative, though these flaws do not diminish the actors’ impact. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/chadwick-boseman-ma-raineys-black-bottom-netflix-review-b74952.html) ## Little White Lies — Flora Spencer Grant Rating 4/4/3. 20 November 2020. The review finds the film entertaining and its performances consistently strong, while wishing it focused more on Ma Rainey. It singles out Chadwick Boseman’s final performance for its exceptional intensity. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/ma-raineys-black-bottom) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 4/5. Simmonds presents the film as a fiery, compelling adaptation of August Wilson’s play. She singles out the performances of Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, whose final screen appearance anchors the story. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ys5v6l/ma-raineys-black-bottom/) ## Total Film — Kate Stables Rating 4/5. 23 November 2020. The critic finds the film muscular and poignant, with Boseman’s final performance giving it exceptional force. She also praises Viola Davis’s commanding portrayal of Ma and the film’s tense, mobile staging. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/ma-raineys-black-bottow-review-netflix-chadwick-boseman/) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Rating B. 20 November 2020. Kohn finds the adaptation solid and emotionally resonant, though constrained by its theatrical roots. He singles out the performances of Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, as well as the furious finale, for praise. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review-netflix-1234599878/) ## Empire — Amon Warmann Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2020. Warmann finds the adaptation somewhat too theatrical but ultimately a powerful, worthwhile rendering of August Wilson’s play. He especially praises the commanding performances by Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, singling out Boseman’s searing monologues. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ma-rainey-black-bottom/) ## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2020. The review presents the film as a dark, seductive story. It singles out the performances of Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman for praise. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review-netflix/5155053.article) ## Slant Magazine — Dan Rubins Rating 3/4. 20 November 2020. Rubins finds the film moving, though its climax lacks the force of the play’s simmering rage. He particularly praises Chadwick Boseman’s urgent performance and his portrayal of Levee’s grief and hopelessness. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review-chadwick-boseman-viola-davis/) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2020. Newland finds the film poignant and compelling, despite some stiffness from its theatrical origins. She singles out Chadwick Boseman’s searching, unpredictable performance and the cast’s crackling work. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/ma-raineys-black-bottom-netflix-review-chadwick-boseman-viola-davis-798859) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The page shows only a browser verification challenge, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or criticism is visible in the available text. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ma-raineys-black-bottom-movie-review-2020) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2020. The page is identified as a review, but its text is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. The review appears to concern George C. Wolfe’s 2020 film. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/movies/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review.html) ## Time Out — Kambole Campbell Rating 3/5. 10 November 2020. The critic finds the adaptation overly faithful to its stage-play source, though the lead performances elevate it. They single out Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis for praise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ma-raineys-black-bottom) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2020. The critic finds the film politically resonant but less emotionally powerful than Wilson’s play, with Ma’s story overshadowed by Levee’s. Boseman’s performance is praised for rendering Levee’s shift from charm to rage and tragedy, while the direction is criticised as sometimes static. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/ma-raineys-black-bottom-august-wilson-film-adaptation-viola-davis-chadwick-boseman) ## The New Yorker — Hilton Als Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 2020. Als finds the adaptation dull and criticizes Wolfe’s lack of visual storytelling, despite the strength of Wilson’s writing. He praises Viola Davis’s makeup and Ma Rainey’s vivid, forceful characterization, while finding Davis’s performance constrained by self-consciousness. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/12/21/reimagining-august-wilsons-ma-raineys-black-bottom-on-the-small-screen) ## Vulture — Angelica Jade Bastién Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2020. The critic finds the adaptation lifeless and rote, with stilted writing and filmmaking that feels like a recorded play. She criticizes Viola Davis’s portrayal and the film’s handling of Ma Rainey’s queerness, while praising Chadwick Boseman’s performance as Levee. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/ma-raineys-black-bottom-movie-review-on-netflix.html) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating A-. 20 November 2020. Goldberg finds the film powerful and essential, even as it occasionally strains against its theatrical origins. He especially praises Chadwick Boseman’s electrifying, deeply nuanced performance alongside Viola Davis’s captivating portrayal. [Read the review](https://collider.com/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review-netflix-chadwick-boseman/) ## Den of Geek — Delia Harrington Rating 4.5/5. 18 December 2020. Harrington finds the film powerful and ultimately devastating, with a slow build that delivers a brutal emotional impact. She singles out Boseman’s intense final performance and Davis’s commanding portrayal of Ma Rainey for praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/ma-rainey-black-bottom-review-viola-davis-chadwick-boseman/) ## Paste — Jacob Oller Rating 8.8/10. 18 December 2020. Oller finds the film a moving tragedy, elevated by Boseman’s exceptional final performance. He praises the intimate ensemble scenes but faults the music sequences and some misplaced humor. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/netflix/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review) ## Consequence — Okla Jones Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 2020. The critic finds the adaptation powerful and faithful to August Wilson’s play, with Boseman’s performance especially affecting. They also praise Viola Davis’s portrayal of Ma Rainey and the film’s depiction of the struggle to preserve Black artists’ work. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2020/12/film-review-ma-raineys-black-bottom/) ## The Ringer — Lex Pryor Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2020. Pryor finds the film wrenching and among the year’s most moving, balancing pain with survival and joy. He especially praises Viola Davis’s commanding portrayal of Ma Rainey and Chadwick Boseman’s haunting final performance. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2020/12/22/movies/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review-netflix-movie-chadwick-boseman) ## NME Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds the adaptation a fitting, powerful swansong, though it remains dialogue-heavy. It especially praises Boseman’s moving performance and Davis’s commanding portrayal of Ma Rainey. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review-chadwick-boseman-2821770) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 2020. The critic finds the adaptation stage-bound but ultimately compelling because of its exceptional performances. Boseman’s crackling portrayal of Levee is singled out as perhaps his finest screen performance. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/ma-raineys-black-bottom-film-review-viola-davis-chadwick-boseman-netflix/) ## Digital Spy — Gabriella Geisinger Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2020. The critic finds the film compelling overall, though its stage-like presentation can make it hard to stay engaged. Boseman and Davis’s performances are singled out as exceptional. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a34739523/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review-chadwick-boseman/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 2 February 2021. Kermode finds the film a carefully crafted showcase for Chadwick Boseman, despite some awkwardness from its stage origins. She especially praises the performances and production design, while noting that the speeches can feel strained in their cinematic surroundings. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/ma-raineys-black-bottom-2021-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## HeyUGuys — Adam Solomons Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds the film constrained and underdeveloped, with a hastened ending that leaves questions unanswered. It praises Chadwick Boseman’s compelling final performance and says Viola Davis’s presence deserved more room. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/ma-raineys-black-bottom-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ma-raineys-black-bottom.md