Dolemite Is My Name Review

Director: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Wesley Snipes

Dolemite Is My Name comes from Hustle And Flow’s director, Craig Brewer and tells the story of filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore, who’s best known for having portrayed the character of Dolemite in both his stand-up comedy and his blaxploitation films, which all kicked off with the movie Dolemite which first premiered in 1975.

Dolemite Is My Name details how Rudy (played by Eddie Murphy) managed to do the impossible and get his film Dolemite into cinemas across the USA, and how he defied all the odds to do so.

This film is very much a who’s who of black American actors, artists and musicians. You have the likes of Snoop Dogg, Mike Epps, Keegan-Michael Key, Chris Rock, Craig Robinson and Wesley Snipes.

Dolemite Is My Name is a real who’s who of great black actors

Eddie Murphey as Dolemite in Dolemite Is My Name (Credit: Netflix)

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And then, there’s the fact that the star of the movie is Eddie Murphy, perhaps one of the most interesting actors ever to come out of Hollywood, and he really is the perfect person to play Rudy Ray Moore than him.

Watching the movie, you really get the sense that he understands the character better than anyone else because his life and career is relatively similar to that of Rudy’s, and it feels like he leans on that personal experience to bring both Rudy and Dolemite back to life on the big screen.

There’s also an incredible performance from Wesley Snipes in this movie, which just goes to show that the man can literally do anything. In Dolemite Is My Name he plays D’Urville Martin, who was an American actor and director at the time who made his name in the 1970s appearing in a number of blaxploitation films, including Dolemite, which he also directed.

Wesley Snipes is on fire in this picture

Wesley Snipes in Dolemite Is My Name (Credit: Netflix)

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What Snipes does with this role is truly something to behold. Simply put, he’s hilarious as D’Urville and demonstrates that he can do so much more than just act in action movies and deliver impeccable one-liners. His performance in this movie could really open up doors for him, and I can’t wait to see what he does next, and the roles he’s offered after this.

Dolemite Is My Name is heartfelt and full of great performances and details a truly interesting story, however, there are problems with it. I would argue that it’s too long. It really does drag slightly in the middle. That said, the film’s ending is a real crowd-pleasing one, and I’m sure people will stay tuned on Netflix until the very end.

It’s also a biopic which covers an interesting part of black Hollywood history that we don’t often get to see, and I for one am glad that Netflix had this film made since it’ll reintroduce Dolemite and Rudy Ray Moore to a younger and more mainstream audience, which is important.

Added to that Eddie Murphey and Wesley Snipes’ performances, then Netflix has a real winner on their hands.

Dolemite Is My Name is available to stream on Netflix right now. I’d recommend you do so.

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