MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Viola Davis commands the screen as the “Mother of the Blues” Ma Rainey, and whether it’s how a song is played or her stuttering nephew doing an intro or needing three ice-cold Coca-Colas – what she says goes. And in his final performance, Chadwick Boseman is a tour de force as a cocky horn player who has his own songs and wants his own band. He pushes back on Ma’s way of doing things and she ain’t having it. Him not keeping his eyes off of her girlfriend doesn’t help matters in the least.
Based on the 1982 August Wilson play and framed at a recording session in 1927 Chicago, director George C. Wolfe does a phenomenal job in baring Black artistry with some showstopping moments. The cracking cast playing black musicians warring against racism and the emotion expressed in their music is rousing. Simultaneously, the flagrant exploitation by the white bosses is sickening as they try to own the music they can’t possibly comprehend.
At a brisk 94 minutes, there’s still plenty of time for heartbreak, disloyalty, humor, and pain. It’s a marvelous period musical drama where the words and notes dig deep. The boisterous and domineering Davis and the ambitious and angry Boseman are guaranteed to leave a lasting impression on us all.
HILLBILLY ELEGY
Amy Adams and Glenn Close are sensational in an otherwise redneck ruckus melodrama with nothing of value to say. Based on the memoir from J.D. Vance, director Ron Howard waters down the tale of the author pursuing a better life while never forgetting where he comes from and how its shaped the man he is. Any sort of emotional substance is replaced by slapping, screaming, crying, and Lifetime movie cliches. And it doesn’t do itself any favors by having the poverty stricken Appalachia hills – where working-class white folks are barely surviving – depicted in the most simplistic of ways.
The acting is the only aspect that makes a real impact. Adams’ raw performance of a mother built of rage, addiction and regret is eye-catching. Yet, it’s Close’s portrayal of chain-smoking Mamaw that is most memorable. She’s fierce, vulnerable, and becomes hell-bent on straightening her grandson’s ass out for his own good.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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