Watch Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) online

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a 2020 American drama film directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, based on the play of the same name by August Wilson. Produced by Denzel Washington, Todd Black, and Dany Wolf, the film stars Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, with Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts in supporting roles.

The project was originally announced alongside Denzel Washington's Fences in 2013 as part of his 10-picture deal with HBO. The adaptation eventually moved to Netflix, with the cast joining in July 2019 and filming commencing that same month in Pittsburgh. Boseman died during post-production in August 2020, making Black Bottom his final film appearance.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom began a limited theatrical release on November 25, 2020, before beginning to stream on Netflix on December 18. The film was acclaimed by critics, who lauded the performances of Davis and Boseman, as well as the costumes and production design.
Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio's claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) – who has an eye for Ma's girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry – spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories, truths, and lies that will forever change the course of their lives. Levee's ambition to start his own band also has him soliciting the managers and producers, requiring him to relive previous traumas.