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Emma Mae

Play trailer Poster for Emma Mae R 1976 1h 40m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 1 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
When her mother dies, Mississippi bumpkin Emma Mae (Jerri Hayes) goes to live with her cousins in Los Angeles. She quickly falls in with smooth-talking drug pusher Jesse (Ernest Williams II), but their romance is cut short when he's jailed for beating up a cop. Loyal to a fault, Emma tries to raise bail money by starting a car wash, and when that fails, resorts to robbing a bank with a shotgun. The plan works, but the newly freed Jesse proves unfaithful, pushing Emma to take revenge.

Critics Reviews

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Steve Erickson Gay City News Hayes initially oversells Emma Mae's shyness and naivete, but her emotional journey is very believable, reflecting her awakening to the stacked deck against African Americans. Jul 28, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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ashley h Emma Mae is an okay film. It is about a naïve country girl from Mississippi who comes to town with an aunt to the Big City. Jerri Hayes and Ernest Williams II give decent performances. The script is a little slow in places. Jamaa Fanaka did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member an underrated little gem. indie black cinema before it was defined Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/07/18 Full Review Audience Member Not nearly as good as one would expect. More of a melodrama than a fun violent "pam grier-esque " bloxploitation film. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Great film, originally entitled EMMA MAE Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Not nearly as good as one would expect. More of a melodrama than a fun violent "pam grier-esque " bloxploitation film. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting "blaxploitation" film that takes a more serious look at the plight of its young heroine than the awful exploitation title would suggest. The original title, "Emma Mae," is much more appropriate, as this really is a character-based drama. It is technically raw, and the acting takes a little getting used to, but the film's unpolished quality effectively makes the story real and gritty. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Emma Mae

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Cast & Crew

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Jamaa Fanaka

Director

Jerri Hayes

Emma Mae

Ernest Williams II

Jesse Amos

Eddie Allen

James

Gammy Burdett

Daisy

Laetitia Burdett

Melik
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Emma Mae

Emma Mae (1976) Emma Mae (1976) Emma Mae (1976) Emma Mae (1976) Emma Mae (1976) Emma Mae (1976) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When her mother dies, Mississippi bumpkin Emma Mae (Jerri Hayes) goes to live with her cousins in Los Angeles. She quickly falls in with smooth-talking drug pusher Jesse (Ernest Williams II), but their romance is cut short when he's jailed for beating up a cop. Loyal to a fault, Emma tries to raise bail money by starting a car wash, and when that fails, resorts to robbing a bank with a shotgun. The plan works, but the newly freed Jesse proves unfaithful, pushing Emma to take revenge.
Director
Jamaa Fanaka
Producer
Jamaa Fanaka
Screenwriter
Jamaa Fanaka
Production Co
Bob-Bea Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Jan 1, 2012
Runtime
1h 40m