Hitting theaters on Oct. 4 before streaming on Netflix on Oct. 25 is the upcoming biopic Dolemite Is My Name, starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow). The film recently had its World Premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
Written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Goosebumps), Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Kodi Smit-Mcphee, Snoop Dogg, Ron Cephas Jones, Barry Shabaka Henley, Tip ‘TI’ Harris, Luenell, Tasha Smith, and Wesley Snipes co-star in the film.
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.
For Murphy, this is his best role since he was Oscar nominated for Dreamgirls over a decade ago.
Blackfilm.com correspondent Sidnee Michelle spoke with Murphy about the similarities and differences in character Rudy Ray Moore, how the industry can put you in a box, how to stay true to yourself & how move and live with confidence as his character did fashions of the 70’s.
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