Dolemite Is My Name

... And busting busters is my game!

(That's not the actual phrase. The actual phrase isn't family friendly.)

The next few months have plenty of Oscar-likelies on the docket. Fortunately, a few of them are on Netflix, meaning that if it's not playing at a theater near you, you can still see it at home a few weeks later. On the top of the list is this Thanksgiving's Martin Scorsese's eagerly-awaited The Irishman. Right now is the comedic biopic Dolemite Is My Name.

In the early 70s, Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy) tries to make it in Los Angeles. By day, he's an assistant manager at the Dolphin's of Hollywood record store. By night, he's an emcee at a comedy club. His dreams of making it big never went bigger. He meets a neighborhood bum named Rico (Ron Cephas Jones), who spins outrageous yarns of a swaggering, rhyming pimp named Dolemite. The stories give Rudy the inspiration for a new comedy act. After Dolemite's first records are smash hits, Rudy and his friends decide to take him to the big screen.

Now for the production. Rudy gets his friends, including Ben Taylor (Craig Robinson) and Theordore Toney (Titus Burgess), on the film crew. Rudy gets playwright Jerry Jones (Keegan-Michael Key) to write the film and actor D'urville Martin (Wesley Snipes) to direct and star as Dolemite's arch-enemy, Willie Green. He sets up base at the rundown Dunbar Hotel - which only works when the crew swipes electricity from another building. His inexperience in film leads to some interesting results. But no major studio wants the end result. Will Rudy avoid a lifetime of debt?

Yes.

One may compare this to Ed Wood or The Disaster Artist, the former sharing this film's pair of screenwriters, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. But the production depicted here is more competent in comparison to the other films. It's still pretty humorous. Jones has to tone down Rudy's unwieldy mix of ideas into a suitable film. A passionate scene goes bonkers. The fight staging is awkward. A bunch of film students make up much of the crew. It's no surprise D'urville isn't sold on the whole thing.

Eddie Murphy capably leads the way. He plays both Rudy and Dolemite with delightful enthusiasm. The often profane dialogue isn't for everyone, but it's so over-the-top that it's worth at least a laugh or two. Beneath the enthusiasm is a man uncertain if his work will get distributed. We understand the stakes as he nearly drives himself to debt to finance Dolemite. Ultimately, his goals and dedication win the audience's admiration.

Now let's not forget some other names. Snipes is a great straight man as D'urville, while Da'Vine Joy Randolph is a standout as Dolemite co-star Lady Reed. Snoop Dogg and Chris Rock get some amusing cameos as DJs in separate scenes. Ron Cephas Jones as Rico is a memorable presence. Luenell's performance as Rudy's aunt also makes the most of her limited screentime. And on the technical side, the standout is the colorful wardrobe by Ruth E. Carter.

Dolemite Is My Name is a pretty good biopic. I'd imagine familiarity with Rudy Ray Moore and Dolemite is needed before seeing it. Still, it's a good story about a man making a name for himself. Whether on Netflix or Theaters, Dolemite makes the most of any screen. See it at least once to see what I mean.