Delayed Reaction: Dolemite is My Name

The Pitch: The black Disaster Artist, only with slightly more self-reflection.

The story of how Rudy Ray Moore turned his stand-up persona into blaxploitation films.

It's weird. I can't think of an actor with a more known desire to win an Oscar who picks worse roles to win than Eddie Murphy. Murphy was famously sour when he lost the Oscar for his work in Dreamgirls. The story around his latest film, Dolemite is My Name, was that it could finally land him an Oscar. But, it's not like Murphy has been a constant Oscar bridesmaid. He works pretty sporadically at this point, and most of his movies have been interchangeably forgettable. Like, be honest, don't you just imagine the same movie poster for A Thousand Words, Imagine That, and Meet Dave? Looking back on his filmography, it's hard to find anything other than Dreamgirls and Dolemite that even looks like an Oscar role if you squint your eyes. Maybe Life. Perhaps Harlem Nights. His work in Beverley Hills Cop is iconic but not the kind of role that the Oscars voters tend to notice. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that when Adam Driver or Joaquin Phoenix wins Best Actor this year, don't look at Eddie Murphy like he's a Glen Close or Amy Adams who has been repeatedly snubbed.

That said, Dolemite is My Name is a very entertaining movie. Midway through, I was about to tweet something about how much it reminded me of Bowfinger, not even thinking about the fact that Eddie Murphy was also in that. I just love movies about dummies who dream of making a movie. It doesn't matter if the movie is good or bad. They are proud of the accomplishment regardless. The more obvious comparison though is The Disaster Artist since both Dolemite and The Room became cult hits. The key difference is self-awareness. Tommy Wiseua, who made The Room has none. He's impossible to read and The Room is a truly godawful movie. Dolemite was made with a lot more awareness. Everyone, including Rudy Ray Moore, knew that it was cheap and silly. He was convinced people wanted to see it though. Moore has moments of doubt and the movie peels behind his bravado. It's fine work by Murphy: the kind that's frustrating because you wish he'd pick projects like this more often.

There are a lot of terrific supporting performances. Wesley Snipes is a scene-stealer. I love his mix of professionalism and skepticism. He realizes that the movie is being made by a bunch of people who don't know what they're doing, but rather than check out, he does everything he can to make it better. Still, the moment it's done, he's gone. Keegan-Michael Key and Da'Vine Joy Randolph are quite good too in similar ways. This movie really does have a great tonal balance. It acknowledges the ridiculousness of the movie they are making without ever looking down on it or the people making it. That's a lot harder than it sounds.

The movie needs to establish who Moore is and where the Dolemite character came from, but I was bored by the origin story stuff early on. That's really my only complaint though. There are versions of this movie I like better (Bowfinger, The Disaster Artist, Son of Rambow) but that doesn't mean I didn't still enjoy this.

Verdict: Strongly Recommend