The Bottom Line’s Recommendation of the Week

This week The Bottom Line recommends “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker”. This is a limited miniseries, based on a true story, consisting of 4 episodes representing the life of renowned entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker, played by Octavia Spencer. For those who do not know, Madam C.J. Walker lived in the south during the Jim Crow Era. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, started her journey as a slave in Louisiana and eventually made her way to Indianapolis to start Walker Manufacturing Company (Michaels, 2015). The series focuses on the development of her business.

“Self Made” does have a couple of triggers according to Does the Dog Die. The most prominent are domestic abuse, hanging, sexual assault, and alcohol abuse. However, even though these triggers are not to be taken lightly, they are minimally shown. Another major disclaimer is the language used, “Self Made” uses profanities as well as derogatory language; these will be heard throughout the entire series. I will say that without the use of this language and events, the series would not be a semi-accurate depiction of her journey (even with the inclusion of these, the series is still not as harsh as it could have been).

Rotten Tomatoes, a media critique page, rates “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” at 68 percent on the Tomatometer, a higher score is desirable. IMBd gives the series a 7.3 out of 10. With the combination of these rates, “Self Made” has an above-average score. This series can be found on Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV, and VUDU. A fee is required to watch on Prime Video, Apple TV, and VUDU, and a subscription is required for Netflix.

The Bottom Line recommends this series to adult audiences. We do not recommend this series if you are sensitive to the triggers mentioned above; if there are other triggers you are concerned with Does the Dog Die is a great website to check prior to watching. The producers of “Self Made” did a fantastic job portraying this historic event in a modern setting. The Bottom Line rates “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” 4 out of 5 stars.

Does the Dog Die: doesthedogdie.com

Michaels, Debra, PhD. (2015). Madam C.J. Walker. National Women’s History Museum. womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/madamcjwalker