A series of brief reviews to get you caught up before the Oscars on April 26th.
If you are a betting person who plays the office Oscar pool, the surest bet of the night is that the late Chadwick Boseman will win Best Actor for his role as Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
It will be well-earned. Based on the play by August Wilson, the film is about 75% in one setting- meaning that it feels like a filmed play, and I don’t know why this scares off some people, but it shouldn’t. In a piece like this, it’s all about the interaction and the rapid-fire dialogue among the characters. And that’s why Boseman’s towering performance is able to shine – the actor infuses every word with the perfect mix of attitude and anger, swagger and heartbreak.
The story itself takes place in one day, as the musicians in Ma Rainey’s band arrive at the Chicago recording studio to lay down some tracks with the cranky but wise Diva, played by Viola Davis, who arrives just late enough into the film that we’ve gotten a chance to know the other characters, including Toledo (played the great Glynn Turman) and Cutler (Colman Domingo is not only the bandleader, but also a good anchor the cast). It’s 1927.
Fights ensue, musical arrangements are argued and issues of race are laid bare on the table in a way that the late August Wilson was uniquely able to write. It is a riveting one act movie, but it is definitely most appealing to theatre-lovers.
As for Ms. Davis? She too is nominated for Best Actress, but in some ways, her character is the least interesting. Shows the least amount of emotional range. I mean, that’s fine – that is who she is: a wounded woman who has learned to stand up for herself and assert her place in a world that still treats her as just a Black woman, in spite of her success as a singer and recording artist. The physical transformation she undertakes is remarkable.
The art direction is gorgeous, the hair and makeup a strong Oscar contender., too I don’t know how many awards the film will win, but I do know one for sure. Bet on it.
Please check reviews of other Oscar nominated films, such as Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Minari, The Father and others by clicking here.
