Absolutey insane if Boseman doesnt get an Oscar for this

I found the film as a whole little more effective than a filmed play with little attempt to open it out. Viola Davis was quite good in a rather one-note portrayal of Ma Rainey, but I agree that Boseman was magnetic, and the film came to life whenever he took centre stage.

As for the Oscar, it would appear as of now to be a likely two-horse race between Boseman and Anthony Hopkins, who had received arguably career-best reviews for The Father. Sentiment may swing it Chadwick’s way in the end, but it’s an award-worthy performance, no mistake.

It's a good performance but it's a very shallow film, it doesn't go deep. Not the type of material that The Academy recognizes. If he gets nominated and even win is because he is dead, tbf.

I thought his performance was good, though sometimes over the top. He could get the sympathy vote, but then James Dean never got it for East of Eden or Giant, even though a lot of people, including me, thought he should have for Eden. It turns out, the "because you recently died" vote doesn't count for as much as great acting.

I should also add: while there have been six posthumous Oscar nominations for best actor/actress, only one was awarded, that to Peter Finch in 1976 in Network. And then there's Heath Ledger in 2009, but that was for best supporting actor for The Dark Knight.

The fact that he died is VERY relevant. Oscars have a long history of being awarded because of sympathy in addition to talent. He performed well in this film, but if he hadn't died tragically his chance of beating out some other good performances would be considerably less. I agree with others in this thread that the film did a poor job of translating from a play to a film. That's not necessarily the fault of the actors, but it won't help the actors besides Boseman when it comes to getting an Oscar.

While I certainly feel Boseman deserves his nomination I think Riz Ahmed was better.

I haven't seen the father yet so I cannot comment on Hopkins, although Hopkins is always great