One To Watch - Dolemite Is My Name

Nothing gets one out of a funk quite like comedy, well this is the case when it comes to us and it’s no wonder we are big fans of it. Eddie Murphy is one name that is frequently synonymous with it and being one of the proper OGs of the genre, only a few could argue that he’s not one of the all time greats.

He is back and this time on Netflix with a slightly different one (Dolemite Is My Name) that’s based on a true story. Our friends at Esquire have even gone a step further in saying that this just might be Murphy’s best movie in years. Not too long ago we recall just how much we enjoyed his performance in Mr. Church so we can’t dispute that even if we tried:

Stung by a string of showbiz failures, floundering comedian Rudy Ray Moore (Academy Award nominee Eddie Murphy) has an epiphany that turns him into a word-of-mouth sensation: step onstage as someone else. Borrowing from the street mythology of 1970s Los Angeles, Moore assumes the persona of Dolemite, a pimp with a cane and an arsenal of obscene fables. However, his ambitions exceed selling bootleg records deemed too racy for mainstream radio stations to play.

Moore convinces a social justice-minded dramatist (Keegan-Michael Key) to write his alter ego a film, incorporating kung fu, car chases, and Lady Reed (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), an ex-backup singer who becomes his unexpected comedic foil. Despite clashing with his pretentious director, D’Urville Martin (Wesley Snipes), and countless production hurdles at their studio in the dilapidated Dunbar Hotel, Moore’s Dolemite becomes a runaway box office smash and a defining movie of the Blaxploitation era.

It’s interesting to note that comics and rappers have praised Moore as a pioneering influence over the past few decades, and Dolemite Is My Name is a hilarious celebration of a singular talent who made his own legend. There’s strangely no release date listed for it at the moment but it is definitely one to keep on your radar, we know we will.

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#Da’Vine Joy Randolph #Dolemite Is My Name #Eddie Murphy #Keegan-Michael Key #Netflix #Rudy Ray Moore #Wesley Snipes

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Thabiso Moloi

With many, many years of PR, digital & influencer marketing work under his belt, Thabiso has worked on a great number of technology, business and consumer brands. In addition, he has become obsessed with most things under the sun including music, series, sports, movies etc which he now regularly writes about. You can find him on Twitter: @Thabz_14