Dolemite Is My Name

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.

A very entertaining and well acted biopic about a common man who found his luck and became the inspiration for many artists in future generations. One of those artists is Eddie Murphy who now brings Rudy Ray Moore on screen, a man who even influenced Rap and the way it developed. Murphy is fantastic and easily gives the best performance of his career. He really nailed the role and was able to completely vanish into that character. A very award worthy turn and great comeback for him. Another comeback story is Wesley Snipes who is absolutely hilarious and self ironic. Never thought he had that in him and that gives me the feeling his comedic and also dramatic talent was wasted all those years before. Another noteworthy and beautiful turn was done by Da'Vine Joy Randolph. The film itself had a very realistic and colorful look with nice production design and great costume work. The screenplay was very good as was the direction of Craig Brewer. It perfectly mixes comedic elements with dramatic moments and in its result is a very respectful and faithful biopic. Definitely worth to see and another winner feature for Netflix. Watch out for Eddie Murphy in this Oscar race. At least a Golden Globe nomination should be a given.

"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.

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.

"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.