Movies Like Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a 2020 drama, music film from George C. Wolfe with a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Color Purple and Tangerine.

Drama Music

The Color Purple

2023

A decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman's journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

7.0

MagicScore

Tangerine

2015

It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.

6.9

MagicScore

Blackbird

2014

Seventeen-year-old Randy tries very hard to be a good person. Since his father left, Randy takes care of his emotionally disturbed mother, and he's the kind of friend all of his classmates can depend on. As strong as he seems on the outside, Randy is hiding a secret inner struggle and denial of his true self. It's not until he opens himself up to love that he discovers that becoming a man means accepting who you really are.

5.6

MagicScore

Muscle Shoals

2013

In a tiny Alabama town with the curious name of Muscle Shoals, something miraculous sprang from the mud of the Tennessee River. A group of unassuming, yet incredibly talented, locals came together and spawned some of the greatest music of all time: “Mustang Sally,” “I Never Loved a Man,” “Wild Horses,” and many more. During the most incendiary periods of racial hostility, white folks and black folks came together to create music that would last for generations and gave birth to the incomparable “Muscle Shoals sound.”

7.2

MagicScore

Chicago

2002

Murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago.

7.1

MagicScore

Roxie Hart

1942

A café in Chicago, 1942. On a rainy night, veteran reporter Homer Howard tells an increasing audience the story of Roxie Hart and the crime she was judged for in 1927.

6.9

MagicScore

Carol

2015

In 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman.

7.5

MagicScore

The Cotton Club

1984

Harlem's legendary Cotton Club becomes a hotbed of passion and violence as the lives and loves of entertainers and gangsters collide.

6.5

MagicScore

The Children's Hour

1961

An unruly student at a private all-girls boarding school scandalously accuses the two women who run it of having a romantic relationship.

7.7

MagicScore

#10

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

1972

Petra von Kant is a successful fashion designer -- arrogant, caustic, and self-satisfied. She mistreats Marlene (her secretary, maid, and co-designer). Enter Karin, a 23-year-old beauty who wants to be a model. Petra falls in love with Karin and invites her to move in.

7.4

MagicScore

#11

What's Love Got to Do with It

1993

Singer Tina Turner rises to stardom while mustering the courage to break free from her abusive husband Ike.

7.1

MagicScore

#12

The Concert for Bangladesh

1972

A film about the first benefit rock concert when major musicians performed to raise relief funds for the poor of Bangladesh. The Concert for Bangladesh was a pair of benefit concerts organised by former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. The shows were held at 2:30 and 8:00 pm on Sunday, 1 August 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, to raise international awareness of, and fund relief for refugees from East Pakistan, following the Bangladesh Liberation War-related genocide.

7.9

MagicScore

#13

What Happened, Miss Simone?

2015

The film chronicles Nina Simone's journey from child piano prodigy to iconic musician and passionate activist, told in her own words.

7.4

MagicScore

#14

Sinners

2025

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

7.5

MagicScore

#15

Bessie

2015

The story of legendary blues performer, Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.

6.3

MagicScore

#16

Saturday Church

2018

Ulysses is a shy and effeminate boy who finds himself coping with new responsibilities as man of the house after the death of his father. Living alongside his mother, younger brother, and conservative aunt, Ulysses is also struggling with questions about his gender identity. He finds an escape by creating a world of fantasy filled with dance and music. Ulysses' journey takes a turn for the better when he finds a vibrant transgender community.

6.3

MagicScore

#17

Young Soul Rebels

1991

Two disc jockeys have a friend's murder to solve in the fringe-group melting pot of 1977 London.

4.9

MagicScore

#18

Moonlight

2016

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

7.4

MagicScore

#19

Rafiki

2018

Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.

7.0

MagicScore

#20

Pariah

2011

A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.

6.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Ma Rainey's Black Bottom?

The top films similar to Ma Rainey's Black Bottom by MovieMagicScore are The Color Purple (7.0), Tangerine (6.9), Blackbird (5.6). Each shares drama/music themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Ma Rainey's Black Bottom worth watching?

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10 from 1,215 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Ma Rainey's Black Bottom?

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) is a drama, music film directed by George C. Wolfe, starring Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo.

Where can I find more recommendations like Ma Rainey's Black Bottom?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Color Purple Movies like Tangerine Movies like Blackbird Movies like Muscle Shoals Movies like Chicago Movies like Roxie Hart

About movies like Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

This ranked list pairs Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020), a drama and music film from George C. Wolfe, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Viola Davis take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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