Synopsis
The story of Rudy Ray Moore, who created the iconic big screen pimp character Dolemite in the 1970s.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Eddie MurphyRudy Ray Moore
- Wesley SnipesD’Urville Martin
- Da'Vine Joy RandolphLady Reed
- Keegan-Michael KeyJerry Jones
- Mike EppsJimmy Lynch
- Craig RobinsonBen Taylor
- Tituss BurgessTheodore Toney
- Kodi Smit-McPheeNick von Sternberg
- Snoop DoggRoj
- Ron Cephas JonesRico
- 83
The Playlist
In playing a man who was so clearly among his comic ancestors and influences, we see, for the first time in a long time, Murphy’s sheer joy of performance, the thing that made his early work in films like “48 HRS.” and “Beverly Hills Cop” so electrifying. - 83
Consequence
A celebration of Rudy Ray Moore, the creative process, and black creativity, Dolemite Is My Name is an absolute joy to watch. - 80
Variety
A total motherf—kin’ blast. ... You might have to go all the way back to the ’80s to find a Murphy performance driven by this much pleasurable funky verve. - 75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Essential to the film’s success is Murphy, clearly having his best time in a long time as Moore, who adopted a flashy pimp-esque persona that would eventually take the blaxploitation landscape by storm. - 70
Screen Daily
An enjoyable star vehicle that provides the beloved comic with one of his most substantial roles. - 70
IGN
In spite of the adult material, it’s a genuinely affecting underdog story, and a rallying cry to anyone who has ever dreamed big. Most of all, Dolemite is a heartfelt tribute to a genuine auteur who spent his life spreading laughter and joy, and who made movie magic by always staying true to himself. - 67
IndieWire
Unfolding like a slaphappy cross between “Baadasssss!” and “Bowfinger,” “Dolemite Is My Name” may not be quite as spirited or hilarious as any of its most obvious reference points, but its big-hearted buoyancy keeps it afloat, and the movie doesn’t slow down long enough for you to really care that it’s following a timeless formula. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
Odd, then, that [Brewer and Murphy's] Dolemite Is My Name is such a conventional-feeling biopic, one with its share of laughs and surprising anecdotes but little of the enduring strangeness that kept the 1975 Dolemite rattling around in our cultural memory