Dolemite Is My Name was practically the Blaxploitation Ed Wood. By that, I mean it had the same writers, story structure and lifted key builds wholesale. Yet, it’s fun to watch due to Eddie Murphy’s killer performance and the earnest appreciation for the work of Rudy Ray Moore. I loved watching Dolemite Is My Name with a new generation of film fans who hadn’t experienced this world.
Director Craig Brewer is this generation’s Jack Hill with far better talent reach. Think about it. Jack Hill had a stable of actors that AIP could provide him. Yet, Brewer broke out of the Memphis film scene like a rocket. Within short time, he was working with everyone from Samuel L. Jackson to Terrence Howard and the dynamic Miles Teller. Jack Hill took scraps and shot whatever he could when Sid Haig and Pam Grier had a month to shoot.
Netflix is killing it with their Award bait movies. Whether it is the general powerhouse of Roma, American Factory or Dolemite…Netflix isn’t shying away from the heavy hitters. It’s a lot better than what Amazon limped through the year with in 2019. The Theory of Everything in hot air balloon? Sounds lame. A decent Jean Seberg biopic with the weakest release schedule known to man is what I expect from Amazon.
For now, I’ll just be glad that Netflix gave us a Dolemite origin story for the ages.
Dolemite is My Name is now available on Netflix
