X
- 2020
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2020
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2020
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2020
- TV-MA
- Netflix
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Season 1 Premiere: Mar 20, 2020
64
5.9
Where to Watch
Where to Watch
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
64
41% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
47% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
12% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
64
41% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
47% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
12% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Fresh, lively and fast-paced period drama. ... Spencer’s performance is dazzling. ... “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” isn’t just a wonderful tribute to yet another unsung hero — it’s an engrossing and uplifting series that shines light in otherwise dark times.
It is decidedly an old-school, good-time miniseries dropped into a world that will measure it by upper-crusty limited series standards. It also confidently strides through such nagging issues as colorism, class discrimination, and sexism black people visited upon each other in post-slavery, pre-Gilded Age America, all while it caresses, thoughtfully, the complex social and personal issues wrapped up in the relationship between black dignity and our hair, and the impossible, ugly beauty standards erected as an obstacle to opportunity.
Standout performances by Spencer, Ejogo and more make Self Made a pleasurable watch. It’s just too bad that the story of Madam C.J. Walker isn’t given time to slow down and breathe.
Self Made, despite its incredible cast and incredible source material, feels too trapped within the “greatest hits biopic film” template, content to rush through every plot point of Walker’s life without slowing and settling to figure out who Walker is.
Unfortunately, the inspiration inherent in Walker’s story is in short supply in the script. ... Spencer’s intelligent, restrained performance is faultless but a little dry — with the exception of one early scene in which the tyranny of light skin and straight hair bring Walker to tears, she doesn’t really grab us. Ejogo, on the other hand, is fully alive as the O.M.G. (original mean girl) Munroe.
The eminently talented Spencer gives it the best she’s got, despite some truly cringeworthy dialogue. But once her business is established as a success near the end of Chapter 2, the plot devolves into a series of telenovela storylines.
The talented cast can’t overcome dialogue that can be painfully stiff (“Your impeccable reputation precedes you”) or anachronistic (“on the regular,” “lying-ass liar”) but is uniformly painful. ... Normally, a show this bad would at least be amusing to watch. But when you consider the richness of the subject and the larger issues it raises—the politics of black hair, Walker’s anti-lynching work, sexism and colorism in the black community—its incompetence is just depressing.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 User Ratings
5.9
53% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
26% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
21% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 User Ratings
5.9
53% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
26% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
21% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company:
- SpringHill Entertainment
- Orit Entertainment
- Wonder Street
- Warner Bros. Television
- Netflix
- Zero Gravity Management
Initial Release Date: Mar 20, 2020
Number of seasons: 1 Season
Rating: TV-MA
Awards
Black Reel Awards for Television
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
Image Awards (NAACP)
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards
• 1 Nomination
