Dolemite Is My Name Movie Review

“I want you to live the life that you love, and love the life that you live.” - Rudy Ray Moore a.k.a. Dolemite

Dolemite Is My Name is a new film starring Eddie Murphy as the comedic legend Rudy Ray Moore.  The film also stars Mike Epps, Keegan-Michael Key, Wesley Snipes, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and is directed by Craig Brewer.  The movie was given a limited release in theaters, but was also released on Netflix.  It tells the story of real life entertainer Rudy Ray Moore, a man who has a vision of becoming so big that everyone knows his name.  He doesn’t get much attention until one day, he decides to create a fictional character.  His character is that of a smart, funny, witty, tough, kung fu fighting, foul-mouthed, jive-talking, rhyming, street-savvy pimp named Dolemite, who is adored by women, and hated by police, governors, and authority figures everywhere.  Once Dolemite gets more and more popular, Moore decides that he wants to make a feature-length film with the titular character at the center of it all.

This movie inspired me greatly.  As someone who has a passion for film, this movie was particularly effective at showing me that making a film is not easy, and requires lots of time, energy, and patience.  But it also showed me that the rewards of making a film are more than worth the effort, no matter how difficult it might seem at first.  The movie teaches some valuable lessons, and does so in a very flashy and fun manner.

The first thing that most people will tell you about Dolemite Is My Name is Eddie Murphy’s wonderful performance as Rudy Ray Moore.  Moore himself was a very energetic, larger than life figure, so needless to say, Murphy had some pretty big shoes to fill when he was cast in this role, but he goes above and beyond, portraying Moore with as much charisma, humor and heart as possible.  It is a performance that Moore would’ve been very proud of if he were still alive today. 

Something I thought was really cool about Dolemite Is My Name is the music.  The score sounds like something that would’ve come out of a seventies action film, and composer Scott Bomar did a wonderful job creating music that was accurate to the time period.  The cinematography was also very reminiscent of the filmmaking styles used in blaxploitation movies of that era, and this was something I appreciated.  The set pieces and locations are beautiful to look at as well, and they showcase 1970’s Los Angeles in a way that is extremely impressive.

The costumes in this film are loud, flamboyant, outlandish, and altogether awesome in every way.  I have always thought that fashion of decades past has the potential to be really cool and fun in today’s day and age, if done right, and this movie does a tremendous job at making all of those ridiculous, bright colored outfits look incredibly stylish again.

The script, like so many of Rudy Ray Moore’s comedy skits before he became an actor, is snappy, well written, funny as hell, and sharp as a tack.  This was a film that I watched late at night when the rest of my family was asleep, and there were many moments throughout the course of the movie where I would have to try harder than ever to quiet my laughter for fear of waking them up.  For a movie to do this continuously throughout its entire runtime is quite impressive.  

There were a few issues I had with the film, my main issue being that there were some moments where the acting on the parts of some of the supporting cast members was a little overexaggerated, and not in a very good way.  This is especially true for Tituss Burgess, whose performance had the tendency to get a bit annoying at certain points.  Most of the acting was terrific, but there were just a few small moments from certain supporting members that were just a tad overdone.

Another issue that I found with Dolemite Is My Name is that there were some scenes that went by far too quickly.  This is a very fast paced film, and I have no problem with films that go at a fast pace.  However, there were some moments that were crucial to the plot that felt very rushed.

Despite those flaws, I ultimately had a great time watching Dolemite Is My Name.  It’s the type of movie that made me feel good inside, and made me want to embrace the finer things in life.  If you have a passion for films like I do, or if you have any sort of creative vision that you want to bring to fruition, I highly recommend watching Dolemite Is My Name.  It might just give you the inspiration you need to create something wonderful.

Rating: R

Grade: B+