Dolemite is My Name (2019, R)

Another movie I saw before the Oscar nominations, although this one didn’t snag any. A shame, because it’s a terrific film. A bit of a Blaxploitation Ed Wood (which evidently isn’t just coincidental – the screenwriters also wrote Ed Wood!), it’s a neat, fun side of entertainment history I never knew anything about.

Struggling comedian Rudy Ray Moore finds his niche when he develops a new persona, Dolemite, based on the jokes and anecdotes he learns from Black homeless men in LA. Dolemite blows up, thanks to Rudy and his friends pounding a lot of pavement. Then, Rudy decides to take it to the next level: a major motion picture. Only trouble is, he’s never made a movie before, doesn’t know anyone who’s made a movie before, and doesn’t have the first clue what he’s doing.

I really loved this movie. It’s a great, interesting look at at an incredibly-enterprising man. I love seeing the hustle involved in Rudy’s rise to fame: the way he practices his comedy bits to get the unique dynamics and cadence of the rhymes just right, how he and his buddies print and sell his first record themselves when censorship keeps it off the radio, and how he improvises his own movie studio out of an derelict motel. The endless endurance and undying optimism reminds me of something like Rudy, but in a completely different package (one that’s much Blacker, filthier, and more irreverent!)

Everything in the film just crackles. The jokes come fast and furious, but it knows when to get a little serious too, and the pacing never drags. All the production design is stellar, the music is great, and the twists and turns of the story are fantastic to follow. There was not noticeable weak point for me. And even if things really kick it up a notch in the second half when we get into Rudy and co. filming the movie, everything prior to that is super-solid, entertaining and well-made.

As Rudy, Eddie Murphy is every bit as good as people have been saying he is all awards season. He’s great as Rudy the hustler/salesman, as Rudy the man who’s hellbound to get what he wants, and of course, as Dolemite the larger-than life persona. He’s surrounded by a more-than-capable cast that includes Wesley Snipes, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Titus Burgess, Craig Robinson, and Keegan-Michael Key, plus bonus appearance from Ron Cephas Jones and Chris Rock.

Warnings

Tons of language (including the N-word,) sexual content, violence, smoking/drinking, and thematic elements.