"Excellent! <em>'Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom'</em> features great performances from Viola Davis (Ma) and Chadwick Boseman (Levee). Their characters aren't flawless, yet Davis and Boseman make them each a fascinating watch; the latter has one film-stealing scene. They both truly give their all. The other cast members, spearheaded by Colman Domingo (Cutler), are good as well. The plot is riveting and very well told, with near perfect pacing and an astutely chosen run time; a 2hr film, for exampl"

"about Levee and Ma Rainey, but also as a fun, good time that goes by quicker than I initially anticipated. In the end, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is going to be forever remembered as Chadwick Boseman’s last role. Call it destiny, but it’s, undoubtedly, Boseman’s career-best performance. Hopefully, if he ends up winning an Oscar posthumously, this won’t be identified as a charity recognition but as a worthy, fair, triumphant celebration of his inspiring, impactful talent on-screen. Viola Davis a"

"As a film adaptation, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' isn't so much a movie as it is a play with a few more options; a showcase for its actors rather than a cinematic experience. But the play it adapts is very good, one of my favourites of Wilson's. It's from an era of theatre in the United States that dealt heavily with the casualties of the American Dream, where you're sold a bill of goods but they'll never come through for you and you spend your whole life chasing a phantom. I think those messages"