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Bessie
Directed by
Dee Rees
TV-MA
2015
1h 47m
Drama
,
Biography
,
and more
6.7
91%
68%
Add to Watchlist
The story of legendary blues performer Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.
More
Where to Watch Bessie
Max
Subscription
Max Amazon Channel
Subscription
Amazon Video
Rent $3.79
Buy $9.99
+5 more
Cast of Bessie
Queen Latifah
Bessie Smith
Kamryn Johnson
Young Bessie
Rikki McKinney
Chorus Guy
Alan T. Coleman
Stagehand
Tory Kittles
Clarence
Clay Chappell
'81' Theatre Owner
Tika Sumpter
Lucille
Sharan C. Mansfield
Miss Taylor
Neko Parham
Rehearsal Director
Onira Tarés
Chorus Girl
Jhoni Davis
Chorus Girl
Jim R. Coleman
Host
Melissa Youngblood
Theatergoer
Mo'Nique
Ma Rainey
Jennifer Sears
Ma's Main Girl
Charles S. Dutton
William 'Pa' Rainey
Briana Starks
Ma's Dancer
Todd Allen Durkin
Nightclub Manager
Crystal Lee Brown
Bessie's Dancer
Hunter Womack
Roadie
Christopher Harvey
Roadie
Tia Hendricks
Doreen Dupree
Marie Burke
Etta Johnson
Michael Kenneth Williams
Jack Gee
Terence Rosemore
Detroit Theater Manager
Karri Mack
Wild Child
Kaden Washington Lewis
Swarm Boy
Khandi Alexander
Viola
L. Warren Young
Sharkish Man
Saundra Dunson-Franks
Hostess
Bralyn Stokes
Harry Herbert Pace
Cj Sykes
Black Swan Executive
Adebukola Bodunrin
Black Swan Receptionist
Joe Knezevich
Frank Walker
Mike Epps
Richard
Troy Faruk
Brave Man
David Paul Lord
Klansman
Chris Walters
Doorman
Jessejames Locorriere
Vanity Fair Editor
Oliver Platt
Carl Van Vechten
Whitney Goin
Fania Van Vechten
Jeremie Harris
Langston Hughes
Chantelle Rose Mussenden
Gertrude
Sylvester Ambrose James II
Jack Gee Jr.
Bryan Greenberg
John Hammond
Levi Erik
Benny Goodman
Gerard 'Gus' Williams
Gangster
Tim McAdams
Shady Guy
Kenny Banks Jr.
Bessie's Band Member
Michael Burton
Bessie's Band Member
Roderick Harris
Bessie's Band Member
John A. Harvey
Bessie's Band Member
Reggie Hines
Bessie's Band Member
Kevin Kendrick
Bessie's Band Member
Marcus Lewis
Bessie's Band Member
Kenneth Murray Jr.
Bessie's Band Member
Kwame Paige
Bessie's Band Member
Jason Passmore
Bessie's Band Member
Daniel Saintil
Bessie's Band Member
Craig Shaw
Bessie's Band Member
Don C. Sherow
Bessie's Band Member
Dashiel Smith
Bessie's Band Member
Eric Solomon
Bessie's Band Member
Joseph Claude Sommerville Jr.
Bessie's Band Member
Teddy White
Bessie's Band Member
Brandon Boone
Ma's Band Member
Robert Boone
Ma's Band Member
Daniel Terence Harper
Ma's Band Member
Anton Harris
Ma's Band Member
Jody Mayfield
Ma's Band Member
Derrick B. White
Ma's Band Member
Edward Wright
Ma's Band Member
Jonathan Bryant
Dancer
Heather Bland
Dancer
Raquiah Carter
Dancer
Lauren Debrick
Dancer
Desiree Dixon
Dancer
Anthony Hart
Dancer
Nia Lancelin
Dancer
Keshia McNeal
Dancer
Samara Michelle
Dancer
LaVaughn Morton
Dancer
Tiffany Murray
Dancer
Ashley Neal
Dancer
Tiffany Norris
Dancer
Christopher L. Plunkett
Dancer
Stephan Reynolds
Dancer
Nateli Ruiz
Dancer
Primas Leon Stanley
Dancer
Brentney Stephens
Dancer
Dacia Stinson
Dancer
Fred Swinton
Dancer
Sheerod Tate
Dancer
Quiantae Thomas
Dancer
Alicia 'Nikki' Thompson
Dancer
Kendre White
Dancer
Selah Avery
Background Extra (uncredited)
Perry Ball
Railroad Passenger (uncredited)
Qualen Bradley
Stage Crew (uncredited)
Alkoya Brunson
Swarm Boy #2 (uncredited)
Jeffery James Bucchino
Doorman (uncredited)
Judy McGee Burley
Extra (uncredited)
Jess Marie Carr
Ophelia Franklin (uncredited)
Jameson Jamey Copeland
Upscale Party Goer (uncredited)
Taurus Davis
Extra (uncredited)
Dino Demitri
KKK Driver (uncredited)
Derrick Dee
Bodyguard (uncredited)
Shannon Edwards
Philadelphia Audience Member (uncredited)
Tyrone Emanuel
Party Guest (uncredited)
Samuel Lee Fudge
Hoover Town Citizen (uncredited)
Adella Gautier
Neighbor #2 (uncredited)
Curtis Gordon
Train Passenger #2 (uncredited)
Montice Harmon
Party Goer (uncredited)
Rob Hays
Server (uncredited)
Sarah Turner Holland
Train Passenger #1 (uncredited)
Damita Jane Howard
Jack's Lover (uncredited)
Geoffrey Howard
Poker Player (uncredited)
Charlie Johnson
Party Goer (uncredited)
Noah Hudson Killingbeck
Neighborhood Kid (uncredited)
Andre Lamar
Cheering Fan (uncredited)
Trey McGriff
Pedestrian (uncredited)
Lanier McKinney
Dancer (uncredited)
John Merical
VIP Guest (uncredited)
Dan Michael
Theater Goer (uncredited)
Letecia Reeder
Patron (uncredited)
Swift Rice
Stage Hand (uncredited)
Darrell L. Shuler
Club Goer (uncredited)
Alexis Silvestre
Pretzel Guy (uncredited)
Nicole Spiezio
Marguerite d'Alvarez (uncredited)
Dorothea Syleos
Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Tray Williams
Stage Crew (uncredited)
Bessie Ratings & Reviews
Newsday
Verne Gay
Well-made biopic absent a whole lot of music and -- as a result -- much emotional resonance.
New York Daily News
David Hinckley
Bessie Smith, who earned the title "Empress of the Blues" back in the 1920s, remains a voice that should be heard today.
Village Voice
Inkoo Kang
"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
IndieWire
Ben Travers
Despite its complicated central figure, Rees' film feels all too typical in the end. The small moments are there for anyone who wants to find them, but they're not enough to make "Bessie" as great as the woman herself.
USA Today
Robert Bianco
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.
AV Club
Alex McLevy
In a cast full of strong performances, Queen Latifah stuns. Quite simply, it's the finest performance she's ever given.
RogerEbert.com
Brian Tallerico
A flawed drama that nonetheless warrants a look simply because of the bright spotlight it gives the underrated talents of star Queen Latifah, who does quite easily the best work of her career here.
Autostraddle
Gabrielle Rivera
Queen Latifah ever so capably maneuvers Bessie from any sort of static strong-Black-woman archetype and weaves a palpable vulnerability, an ache for love, into her portrayal and it's glorious.
New York Times
Neil Genzlinger
Bessie shows us an assortment of moments from that life but doesn't really make us feel it, despite Queen Latifah's best efforts.
Variety
Brian Lowry
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.
San Francisco Chronicle
David Wiegand
Bessie boasts powerful performances and a chance to hear the early blues popularized by Smith and her mentor, Ma Rainey.
Washington Post
Hank Stuever
A thoughtful and at times stirring example of how a film can add texture to a legendary figure.
Denver Post
Joanne Ostrow
A beautifully affecting biopic.
Wall Street Journal
Dorothy Rabinowitz
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.
Los Angeles Times
Robert Lloyd
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.
The Atlantic
Spencer Kornhaber
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.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Gail Pennington
Viewers of Bessie will love her and want to shake her, to beg her not to squander her talent.
Boston Globe
Sarah Rodman
There are three good reasons to watch HBO's Bessie: Queen Latifah, Mo'Nique, and Khandi Alexander.
The Hollywood Reporter
David Rooney
This is a smartly observed, understated biographical drama that sidesteps hagiography and treats its complex subject with integrity.
Slant Magazine
Chuck Bowen
Bessie is remarkably poignant, even if that resonance is somewhat disreputable.
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