Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Directed by Craig Brewer. Starring Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan-Michael Key, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, Mike Epps, Aleksandar Filimonović, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Bob Odenkirk, Snoop Dogg, Chris Rock, Barry Shabaka Henley. [R]

Entertaining underdog-entertainer story of Rudy Ray Moore (Murphy), a struggling comedian-slash-singer who develops a rhythmic, foul-mouthed comedy routine via a flashy pimp alter-ego, and later transitions into the realm of crude, low-budget cinema with an outrageous kung fu blaxploitation comedy called Dolemite. Murphy doesn’t disappoint when tackling his best role in over a decade, and even though he never disappears beneath Rudy Ray’s skin (it’s more like Eddie Murphy doing a feature-length in-character homage), he comes off as fresh, funky, and funny as &%$@, and the actor brings loads of energy, playfulness, and inspiration so often lacking in his lesser vehicles. As scripted by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, the project resembles a blaxploitation spin on a screenplay they’d written about twenty-five years prior (Ed Wood)—self-aware and teasing about the sub-mediocrity of its ambitious huckster talent, but also affectionate and heartfelt, finding unexpected ways to make the audience care about the fringe dreamers and cheerfully clueless opportunists that are Moore and his closest friends/associates. Being the first film Eddie made since the death of his brother, Charlie, the movie is dedicated to him.

78/100