Dolemite Is My Name

Greetings again from the darkness. The old flea market adage is "one person's trash is another's treasure", and the same can be said for comedy. What you find obtuse and humorless may be the funniest thing your neighbor has ever seen or heard. No scientist can explain this phenomenon, and it's never been better exemplified than with a scene in director Craig Brewer's (BLACK SNAKE MOAN, HUSTLE & FLOW) latest film. Rudy Ray Moore and his group of friends are in a theatre watching Billy Wilder's comedy THE FRONT PAGE (1974), starring Walther Matthau and Jack Lemmon. The befuddled looks on the faces of Moore and his cohorts can't mask their confusion over the raucous laughter in the theatre and what they are viewing on screen. It's a turning point for Rudy Ray Moore and his next career step.

Eddie Murphy stars as Rudy Ray Moore, and though it's not necessary, having some knowledge of the career of the real Mr. Moore will likely enhance your viewing experience during this exceedingly entertaining, and sometimes riotous biopic. Ruby Ray Moore was a hustler who dreamed of making it big in show business - first as a singer, then as a stand-up comedian, and finally as movie star. His ambition and dreams kept him going, even after others wrote him off. We first meet Rudy as an assistant manager at Dolphin's of Hollywood record store. He's trying to smooth-talk the store DJ (Snoop Dogg) into playing Rudy's R&B records ... one of which is "The Ring-A-Ling-Dong" song. The DJ tells him the time for that music has passed, but the next light bulb soon goes off Rudy. A local panhandler (a terrific Ron Cephus Jones cameo) regales those in the store with tall tales from the 'hood. Rudy decides to fine-tune those tales and turn it into a comedy act.

Add some clothes and attitude and that's how Dolemite was born ... Rudy Ray Moore's onstage alter ego - part pimp, part rapping philosopher. His memorable catchphrase is repeated a few times throughout the film, and I'll do my best to present a PG version: "Dolemite is my name, and 'effing' up mother-'effers' is my game." Yep, now you have a better feel for Rudy and Dolemite. However, co-writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewsi (also co-writers on Tim Burton's ED WOOD, 1994), and especially Eddie Murphy, dig much deeper and provide a look at the man, his friends, and his career pursuits.

It's pretty interesting to see a guy, without much going for him, figure out a strategy that ends up working. Part of his wisdom was in 'knowing his audience'. His own preferences, and those of his friends, played right into what went on stage, on vinyl, and on screen. When a producer tells him his act will only be funny to the 5 blocks in Rudy's neighborhood, Rudy brilliantly responds, "Yeah, but every city in America has these same 5 blocks." It's that kind of instinct, along with his generosity, and understanding his own shortcomings, that allowed him to reach a level of success. The scene where he cuts a deal with uppity actor D'Urville Martin (a superbly funny Wesley Snipes) portrays Rudy's keen sense of persuasion ... he played to the ego.

Eddie Murphy reminds us of his immense comedic talents and how he became such a mega-superstar in the first place. Here, he's not really impersonating or mimicking Moore, but rather capturing his spirit and paying tribute to a man he so clearly respects. The supporting cast is also outstanding. In addition to Mr. Snipes, who we wish had more scenes with Mr. Murphy, Craig Robinson is hilarious as singer Ben Taylor, Keegan-Michael Key is socially-conscious playwright Jerry Jones, Titus Burgess is wide-eyed co-worker Theodore Toney, Mike Epps plays Moore's pal Jimmy Lynch, and Kodi Smit-McPhee (THE ROAD) plays the student-DP. In addition, we get a couple of other cameos from Chris Rock as DJ Daddy Fatts, and Bob Odenkirk plays a film distributor with dollar signs in his eyes. Deserving of special mention is Da'Vine Joy Randolph ("On Becoming a God in Central Florida") as Lady Reed, Rudy's muse and discovery. She is funny and ferocious in this role that should lead to much more work.

The film is produced by Netflix and it screened at the inaugural North Texas Film Festival. The music (Scott Bomar) and especially the costume design (Ruth Carter) are top notch, and contribute to the story and film. Rudy Ray Moore became a Blaxploitation icon at a time when the comedy of Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Moms Mabley were popular - so hopefully that gives you some indication of the type of humor the film delivers. Raunchy humor with Kung-Fu action and plenty of skin - that's the formula for the three Dolemite movies, as well as Moore's comedy albums (and their covers). This was a time when dropping Fred Williamson's name garnered instant respect. Some may compare this to James Franco's THE DISASTER ARTIST, but instead I recall Mario van Peebles' BAADASSSS!, a tribute to his filmmaking father Melvin. Hopefully your sense of humor will allow you to find the many laughs in this one, because Dolemite is dynamite ... and that' a WRAP!

"Dolemite is my name" is one of my favourite movies of the year so far along with Joker and Parasite. It's largely down to the career best performance by Eddie Murphy, who is simply mesmerising as Rudy Ray Moore. He brings so much energy to this role, along with his charm and humour. Eddie has never been this funny. Most of the jokes are raunchy so it might not be for everyone but it's impossible not to fall in love with Eddie in this film. I hope he is nominated in the best actor category at Oscars. He could even win it because he is that good.

Apart from Eddie, the film is full of brilliant performances, in particularly by Wesley Snipes who matches and sometimes steals the show from Eddie. It's a true ensemble. It's a shame that this movie is not getting a wide theatrical release because let me tell you if there is one film this year which needed to be seen on the big screen it's 'Dolemite Is My Name". A hilarious, heartfelt film which gives a really positive message to everyone who has a dream. A must-see crowd pleaser.

I've got to be honest here: I pretty much liked this movie before I even saw one frame. I love both "Dolemite" and movies about making movies. Combine that with an Eddie Murphy who actually gives a damn and you can't really do much wrong anymore.

It's sad how the real Rudy Ray Moore never got to see this movie, because it's a great portrayal of what made him so endearing and likeable. Moore just never gave up and became a household name (well, a cult figure at least) against all odds. His movies just ooze a genuine love for film-making. "Dolemite" wasn't good on a technical level and the plot made no sense, but it gave the audience exactly what it wanted. Even decades later, it's one of the most genuinely entertaining movies ever made, without ever being in the same ballpark as competent. The boom mic is pretty much a supporting character, but that's all part of the charm.

This movie was written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who also wrote the biopics about Ed Wood and Andy Kaufman (and also... "Problem Child"?). They clearly know what they're doing and get their facts right, but it's the performances that really elevate this movie. It's not only Murphy. Wesley Snipes actually seems to be enjoying himself for the first time in years and steals every scene he's in. The cast gels together very well and all give believable performances.

The only small downside is that the movie pretty much ends at the premiere of "Dolemite". Granted, that's a great climax for this movie, but there's so much more to the life of Rudy Ray Moore. He was actually quite successful for a couple of years after that, before losing everything on the commercial flop "Disco Godfather". Throughout the 1980s he pretty much disappeared, but his career had a revival when rappers started mentioning him as a great influence. Dolemite actually made a comeback in the early 2000s with "The Return Of Dolemite". It's a chapter worth exploring, but with so much source material I understand you have to make a selection.

This movie has certainly revived Eddie Murphy's career, but more importantly it did the same for Rudy Ray Moore. Obviously, he's not around to enjoy it, but the Dolemite character is alive and well after more than four decades. Not bad at all for a movie that everybody tried to talk him out of. Rudy Ray Moore's story is an inspiration to all of us.

Eddie Murphy is back on top with this biopic of Rudy Ray Moore, the hustler, shameless self-promoter of wildly cornball action-comedies of the 1970s. Murphy has finally found a character to really sink his teeth into...and Murphy relishes every moment of inhabiting the joyful and strangely charming yet naive character desperately searching to simply express himself a an entertainer of the people and for the people. His character is an outsider who elevates other outliers all searching for validation and some simple joys in the midst of working class America.

Murphy is funny, charming, and touching as this flawed heroic character. He deserves all the acclaim for bringing this story back to life and surrounding himself with talented ensemble cast and strong direction and wonderfully zany costumes of the 70s era.

This film is at times foul and other times touching and it deserves your attention throughout as it revels in the joys of telling a story deserving to be told and to be relished and enjoyed by anyone searching for an escape from the mundane or cynical stories prevalent in movies of today.

"How'd my life get so small?" Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy, who's not been this good in 30 years)

Rudy Ray Moore has been called the father of rap and more certainly a force in the blaxploitation movement several decades ago. "Dolemite is My Name" is an entertaining depiction of his rise ( see the above quote at a low moment in his career) to stardom as a recording star and movie actor, but more as a force in the movie enthusiasm for sexy, violent, funny films starring blacks in stories about their own imaginative lives, not those seen through the white lens.

Nothing new is added to the docudrama recipe here, although it would seem to call for creativity itself given Rudy's imaginative genius. Yet, a fine performance by Murphy, who captures Rudy's charming enthusiasm and at times naivete (think Ed Wood), anchors the film in Rudy's genial turn of phrases and gentle put downs, an Oscar nomination for Murphy possible.

The ensemble cast deserves a nod for supporting Murphy's performance, that allows them all to be the stars they wish to be, given that his dominance as star and producer could have eclipsed their performances. The almost whimsical way everyone participates in Rudy's dream creates a warm, energetic, smooth production.

Although the bio could be accused of hitting the "follow-your-dream" theme too heavily, the story of this sometimes down-and -out record clerk is an inspiration for those who love the history of entertainment and may themselves dream of stardom. BTW: The period detail is worth seeing for itself.

Dolemite Is My Name is a production of Netflix, which has become a major studio in a few years. Although the film will be seen streaming for a longtime, this short theatrical run offers the audience a chance to see spectacular costuming and big performances on the big screen. Do it now.