Dolemite Is My Name, 2019.
Directed by Craig Brewer.
Starring Eddie Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Titus Burgess, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Wesley Snipes, Craig Robinson, Chris Rock and Snoop Dogg.
SYNOPSIS:
When the struggling stand-up Rudy Ray Moore adopted the foul-mouthed stage persona of Dolemite, he became an overnight success. But stage dominance wasn’t quite enough for Dolemite. He wanted a movie.
Eddie Murphy hasn’t danced with what brought him to the table in quite some time. The man who was once the profanity hurricane of Delirious and Raw hadn’t made an R-rated film since the late 1990s until Dolemite Is My Name, cashing in with broad family comedies and Shrek sequels. This, however, feels like Murphy returning to his roots in bombastic fashion. It’s a big, brash comedy biopic in which Murphy spreads his wings to become the larger-than-life figure he was at the peak of his powers.
The film is a biopic of the cult comedy icon Rudy Ray Moore (Murphy), who rose to prominence in the early 1970s with his pimp-like stage persona Dolemite. He would recite crude rhymes, inspired by age-old stories told by homeless people, over jazz music and slayed audiences with his live act as well as his albums – sold via word of mouth as the covers and the content were too racy for record stores. Dolemite soon decides to transition to the big screen – after a cinema trip with friends which yielded “no titties, no funny and no kung-fu” – with a balls-to-the-wall vehicle for his alter ego.
Much like Tom Hanks portraying Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, it’s difficult to imagine more perfect casting than Murphy as Dolemite. He comes alive in the performance sequences, delivering every crude slice of wordplay and vulgar rhyme with lip-smacking aplomb, radiating sheer charisma. At times, the film feels as if it’s about the universality of comedy, as we witness Dolemite transition from a very minor club attraction to a nationwide phenomenon.
Moore, as played by Murphy, is a hustler. He succeeds by virtue of pure confidence and a Tony Montana-esque desire to be noticed and to always have more – “I want the world to know I exist,” he says. It’s the star’s best performance in years, aided by a colourful supporting cast which includes Da’Vine Joy Randolph as a strong-willed single mother, Wesley Snipes as a pretentious movie star and Keegan-Michael Key playing pleasingly against type as a very serious writer who hopes to make the Dolemite film a work of socially conscious art. Long-time Dolemite fan Snoop Dogg even appears as a DJ in a fun cameo.
Unfortunately, there’s something about Dolemite Is My Name which feels as if it’s just a collage of fun pieces jammed together. At almost two hours long, the pace is entirely variable, from the pulsating energy of Dolemite’s rise to fame through to the hopelessly over-extended scenes of on-set frustration during the movie filming. I was reminded of the languorous “making of” sequences in Quentin Tarantino’s ultra-tedious Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The likes of Craig Robinson, Mike Epps and Tituss Burgess are given almost nothing to do as Moore’s friends and the canvas occasionally seems too sprawling for director Craig Brewer – best known for the Footloose remake – to manage.
The first casualty of the film’s over-stuffed quality is any sort of heart or emotional impact. Despite Murphy’s work, the script by The People vs. Larry Flynt duo Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski excises any sort of emotionality behind Moore’s desire for success. He wants to be famous, but it’s never really clear why, and there’s never much in the way of layers added to either the other characters in the ensemble or Moore’s relationship with them. It isn’t until the uplifting final scene that we get a handle on what really makes Moore tick and, by then, it feels rather too little, too late.
However, there’s no denying the joy of Dolemite Is My Name when it’s at the peak of its comedic powers. The dialogue is sharp and quotable, making the most of Murphy’s renowned and well-honed talents as a fast-talking motormouth of quips. The segments of pacy comedy are beautifully energetic and the nightclub scenes throb with the underground pulse of something truly special being born, but the project rather comes off the rails in disappointing fashion when it takes a sidestep into the world of filmmaking fiasco a la The Disaster Artist.
This is absolutely Eddie Murphy finally putting on the dancing shoes that made his name for a performance that it’s no stretch to call a statement, or a return to form. The film around him has its flaws, but Murphy’s mouth moves so fast that there’s never time for the edifice to crumble.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Tom Beasley is a freelance film journalist and wrestling fan. Follow him on Twitter via @TomJBeasley for movie opinions, wrestling stuff and puns.
