Directing: B-
Acting: B+
Writing: B
Cinematography: B+
Editing: B

Perhaps it’s just a quirk of Eddie Murphy’s career that he manages one role per decade that showcases real acting chops, which he never had much reason to tap when he was making money hand over fist with the countless comedies of his early career. But then came Boomerang (1999), a film I never liked particularly but which caught the attention of critics in a way Murphy never had; he followed that up with several years of dumb comedies which, again, made him lots of money. And then he came within striking distance of Oscar gold with his supporting part in Dreamgirls (2006).

Now comes Dolemite Is My Name, Eddie Murphy’s first starring role since technically 2016, but his first that anyone has paid any attention to since about 2012. It’s fair to say the 2010s has not been this man’s most fruitful decade, and certainly not his greatest in terms of quality. It would also be fair to call his part in Dolemite Is My Name a comeback role, as it’s easily his best film in nearly twenty years.

Unfortunately, that’s not exactly a high bar, and although it’s generated a fair amount of buzz, Dolemite Is My Name is not going to be part of any 2019 Oscar conversations. As directed by Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan), this film has moments where it kind of feels like he’s not paying attention to everything going onscreen. More than once I noticed supporting actors, who were barely more than extras, basically over-acting. How many times does a person need to shrug nervously?

The story of “Dolemite,” an alter ego created by a musician and comedian named Rudy Ray Moore (here played by Eddie Murphy), is a true one, however. And if that story tells us anything, it tells us the importance of a target audience—and in this case, the target audience is not especially Academy voters. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly critics, either, although by and large they are certainly on board with this movie. There is a scene rather late in the film that is very telling: in a limousine on the way to the premier of the Dolemite movie, the “blacksploitation” flick that was actually the first of many featuring Moore in the mid- to late-seventies, the actors read the movie’s terrible reviews to each other. They are briefly dejected, until they notice the massive crowd at the theatre, eagerly waiting to see the movie. In other words, no matter what the critics say, there’s an audience out there if you know how to find it.

That said, I’m not sure Dolemite Is My Name will find the same kind of passionate audience. A movie about a guy who made blacksploitation movies is a little different from actual blacksploitation movies, after all. There’s no doubt that people within the industry have real affection for “Dolemite,” given the actors involved: Keegan-Michael Key as the script writer; Wesley Snipes as the movie’s perpetually exasperated director (and giving a delivery, curiously, very similar to the one he gave in To Wong Foo, even though this time he plays a straight character). Smaller supporting roles are filled also by the likes of Snoop Dogg as a radio DJ; Craig Robinson as a fellow musician; Chris Rock as yet another DJ; and Tituss Burgess and Mike Epps as more of Rudy’s friends helping him make the movie. All of these actors have their fans, to be sure, but we now live in an era where box office depends far more on IP than on actors, and how many people actually remember Dolemite?

That has no bearing on how good this movie is, to be fair. I would call it “decent,” but as a gay white guy, I’m not sure I fit all that squarely into the target demographic. I hate pretty much any movie by Tyler Perry, after all, but that is a man who knows his audience and he makes shit tons of money. I will say this: Eddie Murphy’s performance is good enough to elevate the film single-handedly, and honestly, the acting is solid all around. Even Snoop Dogg, who is not exactly known as an “actor,” holds his own. Dolemite Is My Name is also very well shot, and has excellent production design, and especially, costume design. It’s set in the seventies and the outfits are almost worth the price of admission on their own.

I still have a couple specific quibbles. Rudy casts a very heavy woman, Lady Reeed (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), to stay in Dolemite, and the script of Dolemite Is My Name makes multiple references to her being supposedly “unsexy.” In one exchange, she literally says, “I may not be sexy, but…”—would it kill the people making this movie to have even one other character tell her she actually is sexy? Let alone have her come to the realization herself? Similarly, Tituss Burgess is revealed to be playing in openly gay character in only one scene, at a barbeque where he makes a crack that indicates his desire for men. Rudy says something along the lines of, “Come on, we’re eating,” and the script just leaves it at that. To the movie’s credit, it’s very clear all the other characters accept this man for who he is. Why include that line at all?

Beyond such nitpicks, though, Dolemite Is My Name tells the tale of a man so tenacious and ambitious he made his dreams come true on his own terms even when people were closing doors on him at every turn. I can’t decide whether this movie would work as well had it been a complete work of fiction, but knowing it’s based on a true story changes the context, as well as what it generally means to the viewer. And as a personality, in his truly unique way, Rudy Ray Moore was an inspiration. And this movie has that much going for it, at least.

*Fuckin’ up mothafuckas is his game. He reminds us of this frequently.*

Overall: B