Thursday, November 7, 2019

Dolemite is My Name



Dylan was so right. “The times they are a changin.’” These days, Hollywood’s biggest stars and producers are creating movies for TV on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Some of the best shows and movies I have seen this past year have been on Netflix! Now superstar comedian Eddie Murphy has hit the small screen (where he started, on Saturday Night Live) with this true story of Rudy Ray Moore, the comedy and rap pioneer who rose from obscurity after becoming inspired by a loud, talkative, homeless man who is always carrying on about a character called “Dolemite.” This leads Rudy to develop an alter-ego and he himself becomes Dolemite, the trash talking, obscene, kung-fu fighting would-be action hero who became a Blaxploitation phenomenon.

Starring alongside Murphy are A-listers Mike Epps (as his best friend, Jimmy) , Keegan-Michael Key (as a lofty playwright) and Wesley Snipes (as an established film star), with smaller roles handed in by Snoop Dog and Chris Rock.

Murphy is still as funny as he ever was, and he manages to offset the humor with a few touching moments in tribute to the real-life Rudy, who overcame huge odds to create his own low-budget movie that launched his career. The movie is set in the 1970’s, and the fashions, hairstyles, cars and music will bring a smile to the faces of any of us who came of age in that decade. There are some hilarious moments in the film, to be sure.

The movie gets a hard “R” rating for nonstop pervasive language, sex and graphic nudity. Think Richard Pryor or Redd Fox. It’s not for everybody, but as for me, I found it very entertaining.

Four Out of Five Stars

-Michael Buffalo Smith

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