Dolemite is My Name, and Fuckin' up Mothafuckas is my Game
I still don't have any idea who my SS is based on these recs, but recommending both of these films to me was both genius and a bold move. But not as much of a bold move as these movies are. Originally I was going to just go down the list from the top, starting with City of God and eventually ending up here, but the connection between the two movies intrigued me enough to go directly to these.
I wasn't really that interested in learning more about afro-american culture before my college years when I decided to take a culture class in that vein as one of my required social science courses, since it seemed the most interesting. These movies are the type of thing I thought I'd be learning, along with some uplifting stories of african-american influence and victories over american culture through the years... well, not the more NSFW stuff in this movie, but the actual culture and history of some of the origins of some more well-known aspects of that culture.
Instead I got a fistful of shame for being white from my professor and lectures about victimhood and "race mentality", how not even african-americans born today can escape the pressure of their ancestors' being in slavery, how it basically controls their actions and feelings today even if they weren't a part of it. Lots of really depressing stuff. I didn't learn a thing about anyone's culture in that class, only that i should feel bad for black people or something.
But these movies kind of gave me some of what I really wanted out of that type of study. Celebration of culture, pure fun, while being realistic (in the later part at least.) I really enjoyed them, and some of that came from after watching them when I actually considered what I just watched and how authentic and true to spirit it felt. It was like I had just been served a piece of history. Without further ado, here's the review~
Part I: Dolemite [1975]
It isn't really until I watched the netflix movie that I understood exactly what Judy Ray Moore was trying to do with this film, but even before I watched this one, I had hoped I was in for some straight up action with some funny dialogue and hammy performances, and shit, that's exactly what I got, because that's what they were trying to make.
I loved the charisma of Moore's character. The story is extremely straightforward but because of the lead it's still something where you want to see him succeed to a degree, and kick ass. There's also something comforting about how simple the production is, where you can see every outdated trick and visual, but it still manages to hold your attention.
But where this movie genuinely shines is the dialogue. This type of humor is one that can only be truly represented in this kind of movie in this setting, all that sass and straight-forwardness, is just extremely entertaining. My favorite parts unironically were those where dolemite starts one of his rhyming scheme standup routines. Second-only were his one-liners. Ya got 24 hours to get outta here, 23 of em are already up. Hell yeeeaaah.
Of course, I didn't like the constant nudity and sex in the movie, it was just too much. Kinda trashy. And I know that's what they were going for but it just doesn't make me feel good yanno.
Overall, I enjoyed my time watching it.
6.5/10
Part II: Dolemite is My Name [2019]
Now this one actually surprised me. So many of these "Autobiography Movies" that take place focused on someone involved in a famous piece of art end up kind of soulless if not done by those who truly appreciate that product. And this one definitely had that soul to it, to the max degree. Eddie murphy's performance was the absolute best. In fact at some points it kind of felt like I was still watching dolemite, with how the dialogue felt.
I was really surprised to see Michael Key in this movie. Every time he was onscreen it felt more comedic. The kind of atmosphere he creates is sorta perfect for the tone of this movie. I was also surprised to see saul goodman. I wished he would have been in more of the movie, but ah well, can't have him outshine the main characters XD
The story is still straightforward, in the production of dolemite and how it came to be, but it's done with such spirit that it's realistic and even more entertaining than the original movie, basically just a bunch of friends who are entertainers, wanting to make a fun movie. I had a lot of favorite scenes, but particularly the one where moore and the posse are walking up to the office of those guys who wanted to distribute their movie.
Also it's neat to throw in hints of how this film influenced culture, such as the fan who came up to moore after and started rapping. That just put a huge smile on my face. As did most of the dialogue. Especially when they first start talking to that high school photography director. Amazing hilarious acting there.
One of the lessons here is that there is some value in making these kinds of movies like dolemite, the same value that compels people to this day to continue making low-reaching yet good action flicks that exist purely to entertain on the most shallow level. And that value is the entertainment itself, to help people just have fun. There's just no deeper way to think about it and that's okay. And this film is a perfect example of people who know that better than anyone.
Good stuff.
8/10