I just re-watched Dolemite Is My Name. It’s a wonderful film. I recommend it to everyone, whether you’re a fan of Rudy Ray Moore, or have never even heard of him. Eddie Murphy doesn’t do a Moore impersonation, instead he plays the man sincerely and lovingly, which was absolutely the best approach. because it never distracts you from the story being told.
The best I can hope for is white audiences watch it for Eddie Murphy and through it discover one of the greatest stars of the blaxploitation era.
Dolemite is probably the gold standard for “so bad it’s good” movies. It was made on a shoestring budget with an inexperienced crew, but made by a group of people who loved what they were doing. It fails on almost every single level except its sincerity. It never feels cynical, like so many exploitation movies of the era. It’s a group of people who had no idea what they were doing but they really wanted the audience to have a good time.
Armchair Screenwriter 