Bessie 2015

Ed Bark, Uncle Barky: It fleshes out Bessie Smith to a degree but certainly not in full measure. Latifah and Rainey can sure sing out, though. It's a pleasure to watch and hear them wail in a film that otherwise doesn't quite cut it. Read more

Brian Lowry, Variety: Bessie isn't a perfect movie. But for HBO's purposes, it's a big-time noisemaker - one with the kind of show-stopping work that, when they start handing out trophies, isn't likely to leave its star singin' the blues. Read more

Alex McCown, AV Club: In a cast full of strong performances, Queen Latifah stuns. Quite simply, it's the finest performance she's ever given. Read more

Joanne Ostrow, Denver Post: A beautifully affecting biopic. Read more

Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic: At nearly two hours, Bessie feels a lot like any other TV biopic, with unspectacular production values and a mostly chronological story structure. But it's hard not to be moved by the woman it portrays, and by the point of view it shares with her. Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: This is a smartly observed, understated biographical drama that sidesteps hagiography and treats its complex subject with integrity. Read more

Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times: Best of all are Latifah's scenes with Mo'Nique because their energies fit and because they have the most to do with music and performance and the reasons these women are worth remembering, and re-creating. Read more

Verne Gay, Newsday: Well-made biopic absent a whole lot of music and -- as a result -- much emotional resonance. Read more

Vicki Hyman, Newark Star-Ledger: Queen Latifah delivers a rich, full-throated performance as the Empress of the Blues. Read more

David Hinckley, New York Daily News: Bessie Smith, who earned the title "Empress of the Blues" back in the 1920s, remains a voice that should be heard today. Read more

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: Bessie shows us an assortment of moments from that life but doesn't really make us feel it, despite Queen Latifah's best efforts. Read more

David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle: Bessie boasts powerful performances and a chance to hear the early blues popularized by Smith and her mentor, Ma Rainey. Read more

Gail Pennington, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Viewers of Bessie will love her and want to shake her, to beg her not to squander her talent. Read more

Robert Bianco, USA Today: Latifah doesn't just make us believe in Bessie Smith's claim to fame. She makes us feel for every gifted African-American singer and actor, from Smith to Latifah herself, who hasn't been given the roles and nurturing his or her talents deserve. Read more

Inkoo Kang, Village Voice: "Bessie" captures what it's like to be the exception that proves the rule, as well as to "know" people well enough to provide them with comfort and uplift from hundreds of feet away with just the sound of her voice - but never to be one of the masses Read more

Hank Stuever, Washington Post: A thoughtful and at times stirring example of how a film can add texture to a legendary figure. Read more

Dorothy Rabinowitz, Wall Street Journal: It takes just the first few raunchy and emotionally searing minutes of "Bessie" to grasp why Queen Latifah-its star and one of its producers-viewed this story of Bessie Smith's life and career as a labor of love, or more precisely, passion. Read more

Sarah Rodman, Boston Globe: There are three good reasons to watch HBO's Bessie: Queen Latifah, Mo'Nique, and Khandi Alexander. Read more