Bessie

Queen Latifah stars in this HBO original film as Bessie Smith, a top recording artist who was one of the most influential singers of the 1920s. Bessie follows the familiar rise-and-fall arc, dramatizing highlights of Smith's career (her stage origins, recording for John Hammond, and fame that crossed color lines at the height of her success), as well as her personal life (fudging some of the details, which is common in this type of biographical drama). But the performances raise the film above conventions: both the powerful portrayal by Latifah (who also does her own singing), and by Oscar-winner Mo'Nique, playing mentor Ma Rainey, the blues legend who helped the young Smith develop as part of her traveling revue. Both women are bold and brassy, living their lives without apology (Smith had both male and female lovers). Michael Kenneth Williams costars as Smith's husband Jack, whose combustible devotion is right out of a blues song, and Mike Epps is Smith's bootlegger turned lover. Indie filmmaker Dee Rees directs on a cable movie budget, and the supporting characters get short shrift, but Bessie captures Smith's historical popularity and Latifah gives her music great power. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)