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In 2017, James Franco took viewers behind the scenes of the campy cult classic movie The Room in The Disaster Artist. Now Eddie Murphy explores the true story behind a ‘70s blaxploitation icon in Dolemite Is My Name—and the result is every bit as outrageously over-the-top.
Dolemite Is My Name stars Murphy as Rudy Ray Moore, a struggling singer and comic who’s stuck managing a record store by day and working as an MC in a club at night. Determined not to give up on his dreams of fame and fortune, he creates a new on-stage persona: a tough, foul-mouthed ladies’ man called Dolemite. And after the act is a hit in the club, he turns it into a series of wildly popular albums before deciding that his next step is to take Dolemite to the big screen.
While The Disaster Artist was more the story of an eccentric man with delusions of grandeur and not a lot of talent to back it up, though, Dolemite Is My Name tells the story of a man who was determined to prove everyone wrong—to show that he had the talent and the vision to be a star. For Moore, it meant taking some risks. It meant wheeling and dealing. It meant borrowing a whole lot of money. It meant getting his friends together to record a live album and putting together a motley crew of friends and film students with little or no filmmaking experience to make a movie. And, most of all, it meant believing in himself even when no one else did. The whole lengthy journey may drag the story out at times, but it also makes it an unexpectedly inspiring film.
Of course, you might not notice the inspirational parts. You’ll be too busy laughing at the over-the-top craziness of it all—because the story is so outrageous, and the cast is just plain entertaining. Though Eddie Murphy hasn’t made a really funny movie in a very long time, this one almost makes up for movies like Norbit and Meet Dave (but not entirely). Maybe that’s because he’s stopped trying to make funny faces in family-friendly comedies, and he’s back to his R-rated roots. He doesn’t hold back here—and it’s pretty clear that he’s enjoying the whole outlandish ride.
For fans of campy cult comedies and Eddie Murphy’s early career, Dolemite Is My Name is a wildly funny choice for weekend viewing. It may be completely ridiculous, but it’s also outrageously entertaining. And after you watch it, you’re sure to seek out the original Dolemite, too.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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