The story of legendary blues performer Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.
29 July 1964, Great Falls, Montana, USA
20 July 1991, Miami, Florida, USA
18 February 1969, Savannah, Georgia, USA
22 November 1966, Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
24 May 1978, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
March 13, 2017
Queen Latifah is convincing as Bessie.
December 03, 2015
Well-made biopic absent a whole lot of music and -- as a result -- much emotional resonance.
December 03, 2015
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.
December 03, 2015
Bessie shows us an assortment of moments from that life but doesn't really make us feel it, despite Queen Latifah's best efforts.
December 03, 2015
Bessie boasts powerful performances and a chance to hear the early blues popularized by Smith and her mentor, Ma Rainey.
May 23, 2015
... give Bessie a try ... to see Queen Latifah's performance and learn a bit about Bessie Smith's life and times, and turn in off if and when it starts to drag.
May 14, 2015
The story is so intent on covering the title character's life almost in its entirety that character motivations suffer.
June 02, 2015
Presents the powerhouse vocalist as a blues belter in more ways than one -- a pugnacious scrapper with a fierce streak of racial pride, a sexual appetite that crossed gender lines and a hair-trigger temper that sometimes served her well...
August 15, 2016
Gritty biopic has sex, violence, drinking, great music.
May 12, 2015
"Bessie" knows all the right words, but hasn't quite learned how to sing them just yet.
December 03, 2015
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.
December 03, 2015
A thoughtful and at times stirring example of how a film can add texture to a legendary figure.
