DOLEMITE IS MY NAME (2019) ****

When I was sixteen, I used to frequent the now sadly, gone Downtown Video.  It was unlike many video stores in the area as it carried mostly “new” movies.  That meant if you were looking for anything before 1986, you were sadly out of luck.  Luck changed one day in 1994 when mysteriously, out of nowhere there were six new “older” movies sitting on the top shelf.  They were, Coffy, Foxy Brown, Friday Foster, Dolemite, The Human Tornado, and Petey Wheatstraw:  The Devil’s Son-in-Law.  My friend and I rented Dolemite, mostly because it had the funniest cover.  We took it home that Friday evening not expecting a whole lot.  All I’ll say is that for roughly the next few months, Dolemite was our go-to Friday night pick.

Up till that point, my Blaxploitation education began with Shaft and ended with Superfly.  Rudy Ray Moore’s films Dolemite, The Human Tornado, and Petey Wheatstraw (along with the trio of previously mentioned Pam Grier movies) opened my eyes to a whole new world.  Pretty soon, I was going all over town renting all the Fred Williamson movies I could find, rescuing all the Jim Kelly films I could from the “For Sale” bins, and taping Jim Brown flicks off late-night cable.  For a sixteen-year-old white boy from small-town America, I quickly became a student of Blaxploitation cinema.

I only mention my past because Craig Brewer’s excellent Dolemite is My Name brought a sweeping swell of emotions to me I wasn’t fully prepared for.  It came to us from the screenwriters of Ed Wood, so I was just expecting Ed Wood… but with Dolemite.  What I got was an inspirational underdog story about the American dream.  A fable about the importance of perseverance.  A tale about artists’ stopping at nothing until they see their vision to its fruition.  Of course, it helps when that vision includes an all-girl army of Kung Fu killers.

I’ve always felt a connection to the character, not only because watching the film always takes me back to the good old video store days, but because of just how badass he is.  It didn’t matter that the fight choreography was subpar or if some of the actors flubbed their lines or if there were boom mics bouncing in and out at the top of the frame.  Moore’s conviction to the character shone through all the film’s shortcomings.  In fact, I would argue that the shortcomings married with the electricity of Moore’s performance made for a special brand of movie magic that none have been able to replicate.  

I guess what I mean by all this is that… well… There’s a scene in the movie where Rudy (brilliantly portrayed by Eddie Murphy) is unsure if the movie will ever be shone.  And if it is, whether or not more than five people will show up.  Even his own financiers tell him it will only play in “black movie houses”.  I am here to tell everyone that not only did these films find a wide (and white) audience, but they were appreciated for their entertainment value.  I can only hope that after anyone who watches Dolemite is My Name on Netflix will immediately go out and watch the movies that inspired the film.  Anything to keep the work of the legendary Rudy Ray Moore alive and well is fine and dandy by me.

The film captures that “It Takes a Village” approach to low budget filmmaking so well.  Everyone around Rudy knows they’re not making high art, but they pitch in the best they can, partly because of how well he sells himself, but also because what he puts on screen is fucking hilarious.  We see him hustling and hawking, anything he can do to get the movie made, and having doors repeatedly slammed in his face along the way.  However, Moore persists and does everything in his power to put his dream project on the screen for generations to see.  

I’m trying to avoid plot details of the film.  It’s best if you just let the movie do its thing and work its magic on you.  I think you’ll be surprised just how much it strikes a chord with audiences.  There was a moment when Moore is down and out, working in a record store that was only supposed to be a day job that winds up being a career that hit close to home.  There’s also a standout moment outside a movie theater playing The Front Page that got me full-on choked up. 

It’s a testament to Murphy’s performance that these human moments in between the raps, snaps, and pimp hats tug at your heart so well.  He’s never been better.  After far too many decades playing it safe in kid’s movies, I can honestly say the Eddie we all know and love is back.  Scratch that.  This is a whole new Eddie.  He doesn’t mimic Moore’s vocal stylings, but he does disappear into the character enough where you forget you’re watching Eddie Murphy.  He embodies Moore’s swagger and is ferociously funny.  I bet you’ve forgotten how wonderful it was to hear him say the word “fuck”.

The ensemble cast is aces too.  Keegan-Michael Key is great as the screenwriter who goes from wanting to make a serious picture to getting caught up in Moore’s vision.  Wesley Snipes kicks so much ass as D’Urville Martin, who plays Moore’s nemesis onscreen and off.  Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, and Tituss Burress make quite the team as Moore’s entourage.  I will also say that Da’Vine Joy Randolph just may be a contender for Best Supporting Actress as her performance as Lady Reed will stick with you for a long time after you watch it.

Dolemite is My Name brought so much joy to this Moore fan’s heart that I can forgive them for including clips of The Human Tornado in with the original film.  I mean for a Rudy Ray Moore snob like me, it kind of bugs me because it’s not historically accurate.  However, who am I to pass up an opportunity to see Eddie Murphy recreate the famous “BITCH!  ARE YOU FOR REAAAALLLLL?!” moment?

In short, this is one of the best movies of the year.