Chadwick Boseman only made his feature film debut in 2008 and appeared in just fifteen movies before his passing earlier this year at the age of 43, but he looks set to leave behind an indelible legacy despite such a brief time at the top. It was Jackie Robinson biopic 42 that first brought him mainstream attention, while Get on Up proved he was a massively versatile talent and Black Panther turned him into a megastar. But new Netflix release Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom will likely go down as the best performance of a career cut short in the most tragic of circumstances.
There’s been awards buzz building around the adaptation of August Wilson’s play for months now, especially after the early reactions were throwing every superlative under the sun at George C. Wolfe’s drama. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom currently holds a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes with over 170 reviews and counting in the bag, and is now set for a serious tilt at Academy Awards glory.
Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations are almost guaranteed at this point, while Viola Davis is right in the mix when it comes to Best Actress, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s more worthy of the Best Actor trophy than Boseman. The actor is incredible as Levee, and subscribers are going wild for the movie, as you can see below.
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is excellent. Chadwick Boseman's last live action role and he should get an Oscar nomination for it. Viola Davis as well. One of the better period pieces depicting the 1920's that I've seen.
— Marc Damon (@MarcDamon9) December 19, 2020
Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is out of this world 🥺🥺🥺 pic.twitter.com/1VDAxpJdAL
— Oana Rizea (@oanaarizea) December 19, 2020
Did anyone see Ma Rainey's Black Bottom?
Yeah, stop playing and gon' head and give my boy Chadwick Boseman his Oscar man, damn he captivated you & brought Levee to life!!!
We lost a true talent, a true craftsman. Check him out in Da 5 Bloodz too.
— Romeo (@YomamaluvnRomeo) December 19, 2020
Earlier this week- a friend asked me what i thought Chadwick boseman’s best performance was. I answered “James Brown”
After watching #MaRaineyFilm my answer is “Leevie” in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
— Rando Calrissian (@bholcomb) December 19, 2020
Watching Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and it is tremendous. This cast is tremendous. Chadwick Boseman was tremendous…
— Felix (@FootballPapi) December 19, 2020
Watching Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. People weren't kidding about Boseman. Levee says everything through a smart-ass grin.
— Rob (@caravaggiorob) December 19, 2020
https://twitter.com/delaneymson/status/1340302948610531329
Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom 🤩😱😍 amazing
— keke (@kekemama22) December 19, 2020
https://twitter.com/ravenmarieo/status/1340300435983351813
Chadwick Boseman delivers three monologues in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, all of which are wildly different but equally powerful, and you can’t help but be mesmerized by the sheer level of talent on display. Netflix have always been planning a major awards campaign for the movie, and once you’ve seen it, you’ll fully understand why.
