It’s the rare biopic that’s bound to leave a stronger impression on viewers than any of the subject’s actual offerings. It has also been a long time since an Eddie Murphy film had generated this much excitement. Screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski have gifted Murphy with the film of his career, a deeply observed and felt characterization of Rudy Ray Moore, a marginal comedic talent who would not let his vision down, no matter how warped it might have been. He began by gathering a dozen or so of his closest friends at his home to record an album. Dolemite, Moore’s pimped-out alter ego, had earned him enough money in record sales and personal appearances — as in, selling albums out of the trunk of his car — that the next logical step was the big screen. Whether recreating some of Dolemite’s more memorable scenes or pulling together the background characters (Keegan-Michael Key, Craig Robinson, Mike Epps, etc.) to form a family unit, the screenwriters and director Craig Brewer (Hustle and Flow, Footloose) go to great pains to make it all look so effortless. See it in a theatre while you can before this Netflix release is sentenced to spend an eternity on television. (2019) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.