Eddie Murphy Shines in ‘Dolemite Is My Name,’ But Will This Be the Comeback That Sticks?

If you’ve read a review, thinkpiece, or tweet about Eddie Murphy in the past few weeks, you’ve probably heard that the comedian is back. The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Daily Beast, and more have declared it so, and there’s a lot of evidence to support the case.

There’s Dolemite Is My Name, Murphy’s highly-anticipated biopic about comedian Rudy Ray Moore, which currently boasts a 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and debuted on Netflix today. There’s the fact that he’s hosting the Saturday Night Live midseason finale in December, returning to the show after three decades of avoiding it, save for a brief appearance in the 40th anniversary special in 2015. There’s the upcoming sequel to his successful 1988 romantic comedy, Coming to America, directed by Dolemite Is My Name director Craig Brewer. To top it all off, Murphy’s also back in the stand-up game: He signed a deal with Netflix to release a new special in the next year and will embark on a comedy tour in 2020.

I can’t speak on the things to come, but I can confirm that Murphy is very good in Dolemite Is My Name, and good in a way that might surprise his fans. That Murphy is an excellent dramatic actor is no shock—he was nominated for an Oscar for 2006’s Dreamgirls, after all—but those who know Moore and his 1975 blaxploitation film, Dolemite, might not expect a biopic quite so straight-forward and sweet.

For those who don’t know, Moore was a comedian, actor, and singer who struggled to break into the entertainment industry for half of his life. He finally achieved fame by assuming an alter ego he called Dolemite, a rude, rhyming pimp who was always quick to call anyone a “motherfucker.” His first 1975 blaxploitation movie, Dolemite, was self-funded and laughably bad. Moore himself was a terrible actor and his self-taught kungfu skills are less than believable. The poor quality is all part of the fun, of course—it was a ridiculous, over-the-top, raucous film, perfect to watch while drunk with friends, and it became wildly popular for exactly that reason.

Despite Moore’s ridiculous on-screen persona, and despite Murphy’s own history of brash comedy, his portrayal of Moore in Dolemite Is My Name (which he also produced) is serious, empathetic, and warm-hearted. Writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski opt for a traditional biopic approach, and so the film gets off to a slow start. We meet Moore as a middle-aged record store owner and wannabe singer, lamenting his lack of fame to his friends (played by Tituss Burgess, Craig Robinson, and Mike Epps). He’s inspired to perform stand-up as a pimp called Dolemite by a bum who hangs around his store. When labels tell him the material is too raunchy to sell, he sells the album himself out of the back of his car.

The movie finds its groove when Moore meets Lady Reed, played with incredible charm and heart by Empire‘s Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Moore invites Lady Reed to join his act, recognizing a fiery talent in her, and Murphy and Randolph have an easy, laid-back chemistry. I would happily watch an entire buddy comedy dedicated to their dynamic. Then, finally, we get to the behind-the-scenes shoot of Dolemite, which most of the second half of Dolemite Is My Name is dedicated to recreating. Here, Murphy comes alive. His Moore is almost childlike; giddy to be living out his dreams on a film set, but with hints of vulnerability seeping into his famous bravado. A film producer informs Moore he’s “doughier” than most stars, and though he brushes it off, the words clearly eat at him. In particular, he’s anxious about exposing his gut in a sex scene, and seeks Lady Reed’s counsel in a surprisingly tender way. Lady Reed advises him to play it funny, and he does, by having sex with his partner so enthusiastically it literally brings down the roof of the bedroom.

Murphy’s stand-out scene comes when it’s just him alone on an empty stage, rehearsing his lines in the mirror of his make-shift green room. He finds a picture of his dad as a sharecropper in the desk, and rather than the heart-warming moment you might expect, Moore tells his father off. “I’m Dolemite,” he snaps at the picture. “Fucking farmer.” He then recites his Dolemite “motherfuckers” with a renewed anger in his voice. We understand there is something dark and powerful in this man—powerful enough to will an entire career into existence out of nothing.

Whether Murphy will snag an Oscar nomination for it is still up in the air. The competition for Best Actor this year is shaping up to be fierce. But Dolemite Is My Name is undeniably a big, prestigious win for Murphy, and his first R-rated film since 1999. As pointed out in Murphy’s recent Times profile, this isn’t the first time the comedian teased fans with a comeback. In 2011, he starred alongside Ben Stiller in Tower Heist, a comedy from Brett Ratner that was poorly reviewed, but that many felt was the beginning of Murphy’s welcome return to humor aimed at adults, following a string of children’s movies like Dr. Dolittle and Shrek. Murphy was ready to host the Oscars that year, but stepped down after Ratner faced backlash for using an anti-gay slur at a Q&A, and the moment faded away (though not for Ratner.)

But Dolemite feels like the comeback that will stick for Murphy. It’s not just a good movie with a good role, it’s his passion project of nearly two decades, and it shows. He’s doing everything right in the press tour, like recently expressing regret to the Times for his past controversial jokes about AIDs, gay people and women, calling himself “an asshole.” Though he says “fuck” enough times to make Samuel L. Jackson proud in it, Dolemite Is My Name might not be exactly the return to classic Murphy that fans expect. As a 58-year-old father of ten, he’s a family man now. Even his shit-talking pimps have a big heart in the end.

Image Source:* Netflix ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

Source:decider.com