Rudy Ray Moore is a down-on-his-luck comedian and artist who one day creates a stage persona named Dolemite, who's foul-mouthed vulgarity makes him very popular in nightclubs. Ray then manages to find even more success with his comedy tracks. Ray however believes that a film based on his character must be made for audiences across the entire country, which he starts to fund out of his pocket despite how others believe that he might lose everything if the film turns out to be a failure. Based on real events, this biographical-comedy is a fascinating, even uplifting film at times as we follow one man's ambitions and passion for a movie he believes has to exist for his fans. The story seems so far-fetched at times that it seems unreal, but it just shows how interesting Rudy Ray Moore and the Dolemite character is. It's also nicely paced as there's practically no filler thrown in to pad the runtime. This isn't an extremely funny film though, despite the involvement of many comedic and charismatic actors, which I feel that this was on purpose. After all, you don't want to distract from the story too much and the film should be grounded in reality to not have so many one-liners or odd scenarios. There's still some funny moments which is mainly thanks to the actors working off each other. Dolemite's stand-up isn't particularly funny, but it's mainly just staying accurate to people's humour back in the day.
Eddie Murphy returns in a leading role after nearly a ten year hiatus, and yet his charisma and charm fit perfectly like a glove. Murphy's role as Ray feels so genuine that you can tell that Murphy was passionate for this movie and role for a long time. This isn't the fast-talking, obnoxious Murphy we've seen in his other films, it's a more human, softer performance that carries the fast energy at times, but is more sincere than acting for the show of it. There are so many side characters that also have their moment to shine comedically. From Keegan Micheal-Key as Jerry Jones, the writer of Dolemite, Lady Reed, the co-star and Ray's supportive friend, Craig Robinson as Ben Taylor, a musician who provides the theme of the film, and Wesley Snipes as D'Urville Martin, a famous actor who stars and directs Dolemite who's diva-like personality clashes with the others. That's only a handful of characters as there are many others from recurring roles to small cameos. The acting and characters are all great across the board, but it's Murphy's performance that steals the show due to his humbleness and love for the real-life figure.
Craig Brewer's directing instantly sends the viewer back to the 70's as the setting is perfectly replicated not only from the sets and lighting, but the costume designers and make-up who help make the outfits and hairstyles of the various characters match with the time period. Dolemite's wardrobe is particularly uniquely designed and adds some much needed colour in a dirty, pessimistic LA. The cinematography by Eric Steelberg is very good and feels limited to the time period as it doesn't try to go super flashy, but somewhat conventional for 70's filmmaking. The music by Scott Bomar is great with the use of funk and soul music and notable songs throughout the film. The filmmaking isn't as masterfully crafted as others, but it's very serviceable for a biographical picture.
This might sound odd, but "Dolemite Is My Name" is my personal favourite Netflix-produced film. "Uncut Gems" might be better-crafted and original, but this film just hits all of the right spots for me. From the intriguing story of Rudy Ray Moore and the making of his film, some good laughs, Murphy's wonderful performance, a whole cast of loveable actors and characters, 70's aesthetic, Steelberg's cinematography, Bomar's score, and Brewer's directing. Sure, the directing could have been a bit more creative rather than traditional and there could have been much more jokes, but I honestly think that the film is perfect the way it is, flaws and all. It's a shame that this film wasn't nominated for any Oscars whatsoever, but then again, "Uncut Gems" also got snubbed. I know this review was somewhat shorter than others, but there's not much I can really say about this film. It's just really good and should be just watched in order for it to be explained rather than I describe how good it is, as I believe it doesn't do the film justice.
Verdict: 9/10. One of my favourite biographical films. If you have Netflix, watch this as soon as you can!
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