Dolemite is My Name

“You know what they say brother - luck is where opportunity meets preparation.”

Filmology Rating: 3.5 out of 4

Dolemite is My Name is a Netflix biopic of famous blaxploitation film star and comedian, Rudy Ray Moore. The film has a stellar cast of Eddie Murphy as Rudy, Wesley Snipes, Keegan-Michael Key, and Craig Robinson. The screenplay written by the man who brought the world 'Ed Wood.' Eddie Murphy portrays real-life legend, Rudy Ray Moore, a comedy and rap pioneer who proved naysayers wrong when his hilarious, obscene, kung-fu fighting alter-ego, Dolemite, became a 1970s blaxploitation phenomenon.

The most shocking thing about this whole film is seeing Eddie Murphy and Wesley Snipes actually trying. Most of all Eddie Murphy, who has been out of the limelight for a number of years.
Eddie Murphy doesn't really look like Rudy Ray Moore, but he does an outstanding job at embodying that over-the-top persona that Rudy Ray Moore had.

What was also most surprising is how brilliant the film is at conveying the impact that Rudy Ray Moore had on African American cinema throughout the 70s. There is so much to the core of this film like the theme of self-worth and the power of uniting a demographic through belief in one's self. But, most of all, being yourself and embracing who you are.

Rudy Ray Moore is such a character himself that he's too entertaining not to watch and enjoy. The extent of his acting ability extends to "yelling with concern." But, that is a charm to all of his films.

It's one of those films that leaves you with a happy smile on your face. But the significance of Rudy Ray Moore on black cinema and culture should not be glossed over. Rudy may not have made brilliant films, but he was someone who stood for black empowerment in a time of oppression. He inspired people across the world when they saw an African American on the big screen starring in a film. Also, Rudy's constant impulse to make everything rhyme also led to the discovery of rap. To this day, he is regarded as "The Godfather of Rap" and even Snoop Dog says that he would not be doing what he's doing if it was not for Rudy.

It's a film that encompasses all Rudy did and stood for in a heartwarming and uplifting way that just did not seek to make fun of his persona or films. A must-see.

Rating: See It

-Nolan