It’s easy for modern audiences nowadays to forget this, but Eddie Murphy was once a major force in R-rated comedies. In the last 20 years or so, he’s mainly just been doing dumb PG kids comedies like Dr. Dolittle and Daddy Day Care, but before that he had some really raunchy movies and stand-up specials. For people that miss the old days of Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name is an absolute must-watch. It is a return to form for the actor, putting him in an R-rated comedy where he’s funny in the ways that he used to be.

Dolemite Is My Name is one of those biopics where I really wasn’t familiar with the subject involved, and so I had no idea what to expect from the story of the movie. Basically, though, we follow a struggling artist named Rudy Ray Moore, who has been having a hard time launching his career off the ground. He’s been trying to make both music and stand-up comedy, and both of them aren’t going how he wants them to. This all changes for him when he crafts an alter ego for himself, Dolemite. Dolemite is a very raunchy figure, appealing to some very crass sexual and strong-language based comedy. He begins to find success in this character, and so the movie details his struggle to propel the Dolemite character into the public eye.

This wasn’t one of my favorite movies of the year or anything, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. Like I said earlier, it was really great to see Eddie Murphy back in a role like this, and so I hope that this becomes somewhat of a comeback for him going forward. Aside from his great performance, though, I just really liked the whole vibe of the movie. The story is very appealing for anyone that’s an artist down on their luck, and there are so many highs and lows for the character that are easy to empathize with. The rest of the cast is also pretty phenomenal, and the stylish aesthetic of the movie really helped it stand out. This isn’t a movie that I have a ton to say on, but it’s one that I definitely enjoyed, and think that anyone who thinks this might be up their alley should take a chance on.

3.5/5