I don’t, for whatever reason, watch too many Netflix original movies. I find watching movies at home sometimes distracting, so I want something I am really going to want to focus on. But something about Dolemite Is My Name did catch my attention. I won’t claim to be the biggest Eddie Murphy fan, but I do love many of his movies. Likewise, I’ve never seen Rudy Ray Moore’s Dolemite, but I’ve read and heard a lot about it, and quite frankly, it sounds like a lot of fun.
So, I had some free time and here we are.
Rudy Ray Moore (Murphy) is a struggling entertainer trying to make it to the big time…as a musician when the movie opens. He does some lame stand-up on the side, but by and large, he’s not getting very much further than the record store where he’s an assistant manager. One day, he pushes a local homeless man out the door as the guy is telling a joke about a legendary pimp named Dolemite. Frustrated over his lack of fame, Moore finds the guy and gets him and his homeless buddies to tell Moore their collected Dolemite jokes. Moore then uses them to craft the Dolemite persona into his new stand-up act, and from there his career takes off, eventually leading to the character getting his own movie.
Something like Dolemite Is My Name is clearly a labor of love for Murphy. Rudy Ray Moore wanted fame, but maybe not material success. He seemed to just want to entertain as many people as possible as he could and saw what he was doing as a means to that end. His stand-up gets him a record deal, that led to movie financing, and somehow, despite the fact he clearly didn’t know much of anything about making movies, he made one that, despite being critically panned, made audiences howl with laughter, a fact that seems to be all Moore wanted out of life. This Rudy Ray Moore may not have been the best at things like believable fight choreography or coherent storytelling, but he made up for it with charisma and a sense of loyalty to his friends. If Moore couldn’t get stores to sell his record because of the content either in the comedy or on the album cover, then he’d just sell it out of the trunk of his car. If he couldn’t get money for his movie or professionals with a lot of filmmaking experience, then he’d get family, friends, and whatever random acquaintances he could talk into helping.
That comes out strongest with his screenwriter Jerry Jones (Keegan-Michael Key) and director/co-star/closest thing to a name actor on the movie D’Urville Martin (Wesley Snipes). Jones wants to tell serious stories about actual life, and he seems like an odd fit for Moore’s work, but he’s charmed enough by Moore to become one of the gang before the movie ends. Martin, on the other hand, sees himself as above it all somehow but even he has moments where he appreciates with Moore is doing. Moore is, above all, harmless. He doesn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. He just wants to hustle enough to get his movie made and distributed.
That comes out strongest in the Lady Reed subplot. After witnessing a large woman physically defend herself at a bar he’s playing, Moore befriends her, makes her part of the act, and even puts her into his movie. The two have a scene together late in the movie where she thanks him for helping her out, particularly in making sure a woman her size actually appeared in a movie.
And that, ultimately, is what Moore feels good about. Sure, his movie is drubbed by the critics, but he doesn’t care. His fans love it, and he actually made a movie. Why shouldn’t he be happy? He’s the guy who will stop to entertain fans waiting in line rather than see the final product.
This was a fun, breezy drama of a guy who just wanted to entertain and make a name for himself. Murphy was the perfect choice to play Moore, the fire the longtime comedic star displayed showed just how much he was enjoying himself. There aren’t any real obstacles for a guy like Moore, so why not just show how he solved problems on his path to if not fame, then at least something that satisfied him in all the ways he wanted.
Grade: A-
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