Eddie Murphy is back, and he’s better than ever, if Dolemite Is My Name is anything to go by. His return to form has been something so many of us have so eagerly anticipated, and he made sure not to disappoint us, giving us one of his very best performances to date, and one that hearkens back to the earlier period in his career where, where he was always firmly in command of his role as a comedian who took his craft extremely seriously. His sabbatical from acting created something of a gap in the world of comedy, as while he may have made many dreadful films, he was always someone who committed to absolutely every role, regardless of who he was playing. In taking on the role of Rudy Ray Moore, who went by the alter-ego Dolemite in his comedy act, Murphy finally shows exactly what he is capable of, proving his mettle not only as a hilarious comic genius but as a dedicated actor who can find the gravitas in even the dourest of situations. Even beyond Murphy’s performance, Dolemite Is My Name is amongst the year’s best films, taking a sentimental but never saccharine approach to the artistic process and the oddly-motivation true story that serves as the inspiration for a truly endearing piece of biographical filmmaking that stands as a triumphant achievement for everyone involved.

Rudy Ray Moore knew he deserved better – he always felt as if he was on the precipice of stardom, but just could never get his foot in the door long enough to make an impact. This is why he laboured in a ghetto record store for years, hoping to one day break through into the entertainment industry – it doesn’t matter if it was a singer, dancer or comedian, Moore was committed to realizing his dream. Unfortunately, Rudy Ray Moore never became a star – but Dolemite, a character he created after an encounter with a group of homeless men, does, and launches the comedian and his alter-ego towards fame, with his raunchy act and unique style captivating people all across the country, who felt so deeply compelled by a man who wasn’t only funny, but also had the substance in his performance to back up the fact that he was incredibly hardworking, and fully dedicated to entertaining above everything else. As Dolemite grows in popularity, so does Moore’s aspirations, and after several successful records, he decides its time to take Dolemite to a bigger platform: cinema. Over the course of a long and tumultuous production period, Moore and his coterie of collaborators and fellow artists craft the film Dolemite, inspired by the blaxploitation films that enthralled audiences across the country. Dolemite is ready for the world, but is the world ready for Dolemite?

Craig Brewer has had an unconventional career, one littered with successes and failures, almost in equal measure. What makes Brewer such a fascinating figure is that despite having made some bad films, he has shown himself to be capable of crafting stealthy masterpieces, such as Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan, the latter bringing a career-best performance from the intensely prolific Samuel L. Jackson. Dolemite Is My Name allows Brewer the opportunity to once again redefine the career of a particular film icon, this time one of the most influential comedic figures of his generation. To say this was career-best work from Murphy is an understatement because this almost entirely redefines his reputation, and almost atones for his less-than-ideal comedic output over the past few years. Brewer didn’t initially seem like someone who would be adept at directing a film like this – he doesn’t strike the viewer as someone who would harbour a deep and meaningful understanding of the blaxploitation industry – but much like he’s demonstrated himself to be when it comes to other subjects, he takes on the challenge with immense gusto and remarkable nuance, delivering a film that is brimming with life, a vivid biographical comedy that doesn’t merely tell a story, but explores an entire life. Brewer extracts the genuine brilliance from every aspect of the film, and while it is easy to only focus on Murphy, we can’t underestimate what the director does in bringing this film together and making it work in a way that very few of us were expecting it to.

Murphy is just so astonishing in the film, it almost feels as if this is going to revolutionize his career and launch him back into the mainstream, albeit in a very different way. No longer needing to pander to a particular kind of role, he now occupies the position of a great character actor – someone who doesn’t have a character built around him, but rather engages with the role in a way that allows him to grow as a performer. Rudy Ray Moore was in many ways the perfect subject for Murphy’s comeback – both are one-of-a-kind comedic voices that had inconsistent careers that resulted in some low-points, but also many moments of revelatory brilliance – and despite being an odd choice for the character, both in age and appearance, Murphy disappears into the role. He is one of the few major stars of his generation that even when demonstrating the more severe laziness that caused him to fall out of popularity, he never relies on his own personality, but rather fashions himself into a number of outrageous characters. Dolemite Is My Name has the actor playing his most challenging role, not only depending on his humour, but also his ability to bring some emotional gravitas to a scene, something that has been tragically neglected in the vast majority of Murphy’s films – its unfortunate that the last time Murphy was able to be so authentic, while still displaying his unique comedic abilities, was over a decade ago in Dreamgirls, another film that knew exactly how to utilize Murphy. Dolemite Is My Name is such an exciting film, mainly because it is clear that its going to lead to better opportunities for Murphy, who seems willing to actually put in an effort again, and as we’ve seen before, no one is able to benefit from this kind of artistic freedom quite like him.

While the film does revolve around Murphy, the rest of the cast doesn’t fall by the wayside, with many of them being just as good. Craig Robinson, Mike Epps and Tituss Burgess are so much fun as Moore’s good friends who help him in his journey towards becoming Dolemite, bringing with them some of the film’s warmest and most endearing moments. Da’Vine Joy Randolph also makes quite an impression, giving a performance that should serve to be a great cinematic breakthrough for the theatre veteran who is talented enough to hold the screen with such vivid ferocity, she’s just impossible to ignore. Yet, the most impressive performance besides Murphy comes on behalf of another actor making a comeback, Wesley Snipes. Playing veteran blaxploitation actor D’Urville Martin, Snipes is just tremendous, finding a certain balance between the absurdity and the emotionally-resonant in his portrayal of a man on the other side of fame – he’s managed to break into the industry, but at the cost of being restricted to bit parts that rely on archetype more than his perceived talents. Snipes’ performance is excellent, which makes the fact that he appears in only a handful of scenes all that more upsetting, because Martin, while perhaps not as fascinating at the Dolemite character, could have made for a compelling story all on his own – and Snipes certainly goes far enough with his limited screentime to confirm that he too has once again found his way into the industry, and will hopefully continue with this kind of work in the future.

Dolemite Is My Name, when you break it down to its basic concepts, is essentially just a film about showbusiness, and it does follow many of the same conventions that we normally see with these kinds of broad biographical films. The film is prominently marketed as the work of screenwriting collaborators Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, whose previous work has included a variety of great films, with two in particular being quite relevant to this film: Ed Wood and The Disaster Artist, two films with which Dolemite Is My Name shares quite an unconventional kinship. The three form a loose trilogy that covers very similar thematic territory – they’re all about the rise of artists who aren’t particularly talented or good at what they do, but possess the right amount of pluck to actually take a risk in pursuing what they feel they were born to do. Moore, like Wood and Wiseau, was a scrappy but dedicated man who would do anything to get his name on a marquee, as we watch as he rises from obscurity to worldwide recognition, based on nothing other than his ability to play the Hollywood game better than anyone else in the industry. A film about nothing more than artistic tenacity, and the priceless audacity of following whatever wild ambitions you feel yourself capable of, Dolemite Is My Name is a film that is as insightful into the industry as it is an outrageously funny film about one man’s journey into the mainstream through his own hard work and relentless belief that the world needed to be introduced to Dolemite, no matter the cost.

It only makes sense that Dolemite Is My Name would be a film brimming with emotion, and you’d certainly be forgiven for being profoundly moved by the ending of the film, where our protagonist, realizing that he’s finally achieved what he’s been trying to do his entire life, chooses to rather engage with the people he made the art for, rather than basking in the glory of recognition. The film isn’t only hilarious, its deeply heartfelt as well – there’s a sense of intricate gravitas pulsating throughout the film – its always very simple, and it never overwhelms, but it’s definitely there and gives the film soul without ever forcing it down a path of constructed emotion, where we’re coerced into feeling something that just isn’t there. We can’t deny that the film does sometimes struggle to stand on its own, because it is working from the same thematic framework as most biographical films set in the entertainment industry, but we can praise it for how it approaches its subject, never condescending the true story, or hiding the fact that the protagonist was a deeply flawed man who was far from the misunderstood genius he’s often asserted to be, but rather a hard-working entertainer who knew exactly what he was doing, and ultimately managed to get where he was hoping to go. It’s always a worthwhile experience to see a film that isn’t afraid to tell the truth, even at the expense of the likable disposition of the character, with truthfulness being paramount, which ultimately makes us love the film, and the character, so much more.

Dolemite Is My Name is a bold, vulgar and utterly hilarious film that takes aim at the entertainment industry in a way not many would dare. The sheer audacity underpinning the film helps compensate for its tendency to take a relatively safe approach to a story that could have possibly benefited from some more nuanced commentary on some of the major issues the film flirts with (but don’t necessarily ignore, rather choosing to prioritize the more cohesive parts of the story, as opposed to the socio-cultural matters that form the backdrop for the film). The film finds the perfect balance between the crass and the heartfelt, and featuring Eddie Murphy returning to his easygoing but hardworking style of playing characters that are far more complex than just a bundle of stereotypical quirks reminds us that anyone can have a fantastic comeback if they’re willing to put in the work. The film is a wonderful piece that never takes itself too seriously, but finds the dignity in the frivolity, and affords us the chance to go inside the industry in a way that may not be revolutionary, but is no less fascinating. Dolemite Is My Name deviously takes its place amongst the best films of the year, with its humble concept but dynamic execution making it a captivating experience that takes on familiar ideas with a blend of sincerity and heightened absurdity to the point where we just can’t deny the unconventional charms of the film. Memorable and highly entertaining, there aren’t many films quite as unexpectedly endearing as this, but then again – there aren’t many people quite like Dolemite.