Gritty, sober, and realistic. Latifah is very good in the title role.

Queen Latifah gives one of the finest performances of her career even for an HBO biopicBessie Smith was one of the most famous African American voices in the 1920's and she made her claim all on her ownshe had a very rough childhood being raised by her abusive sister and was one of the first bisexual artistsnot a lot of black skinned women were considered for stage performances yet Bessie was never one to shy away from making it in the spotlightwhat she was taught about the Blues is not knowing the people, but having the people know youfor her it was all about getting the right kind of music for a broader audiencewonderful work by supporting players like Kenneth Michael Williams, Mike Epps, and Mo'NiqueBessie combats racism, producers saying no, and balancing her many relationships with men and womenthere's a hole in all our lives, nobody else will fill it but yougreat acting, beautiful lighting, and Queen Latifah sings her heart out as Bessie Smith

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.

Awesome acting by Queen Latifah. I can watch this portrayal over again.Great singing, wonderful insight, and full of information.

This movie is AMAZING! You MUST see this before you die.

This felt very long. The way Bessie was portrayed made her very unlikeable.

A well made biopic which gives a good insight into the her life. Doesn't seem too dramatised and presented quite realistically. Good performances.

Forgot to review this one, Good Biopic, watched it back in September when it came out

Brilliant movie, excellent performances all round. Queen Latifah absolutely nailed it as Bessie. She deserves all the award nominations out there. I love that the amazing Bessie Smith got such an awesome movie about her life.

An excellent biopic of a troubled, but amazing woman. Definitely worth a watch, even if you don't got the blues

You forget it's Queen Latifah, and I love it when an actor can do that for me. Depressing at times, downright ugly in others. The few moments of celebration are made even more so because of the overall tone. It had to be filmed this way. It had to be written this way. It wasn't the best of times for black people in America. Good film.

Solid music bio, Queen Latifah is pretty good, and it seems like this was a passion project for her.

La actuacion de Queen Latifah y la historia que cuenta es lo mas resaltante, pero no termina de enganchar el guion

i really liked this. now for the mo'nique ma rainey movie.

Decent biopic. Mo' Nique and Latifah are great.