Dolemite Is My Name

(R) ★★★★

Director: Craig Brewer.

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Wesley Snipes, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Snoop Dogg, Chris Rock, Bob Odenkirk.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

"No, you may not smell my flower."

Eddie Murphy is back.

Hopefully.

Let's forget the bad films (Norbit, Nutty Professor II, A Thousand Words and so many, many more) and hope that his Lazarus-like return in Dolemite Is My Name is the start of a new and glorious phase of the funnyman's career.

To say this is his best live-action turn in 20 years is meaningless - outside of his Oscar nom for Dreamgirls, his post-1999 career is a wasteland that includes five Razzie nominations for worst actor (including one win). But his headlining turn as Rudy Ray Moore in this funky Netflix biopic is quality stuff from someone whose acting talents are too often in inverse proportion to his ability to pick good roles.

As Moore, Murphy gets to flex a lot of different muscles, including his rarely used dramatic chops and his natural showmanship, as well as his ability to swear like a motherfucker and make it funny as fuck. It's a role ideally suited to his skill set.

Taking place in the '70s, Dolemite Is My Name follows the unlikely rise of Rudy Ray Moore, a washed-up singer/comedian who became a belated underground star in his 40s. Never taking "no" for an answer, he created a DIY empire of albums and films based around his boastin' and toastin' pimp character Dolemite.

As we saw in his early golden period, few people are as funny when they're being foul-mouthed as Eddie Murphy. In some ways Dolemite... recaptures some of that early magic - he's older and more restrained, but when he is freewheeling and shooting his mouth off, it's hilarious. Just as Moore used Dolemite as a vehicle to be crude, rude and comedic, Murphy uses Moore in the same way. It's a throwback to Murphy's glory days.

Dolemite... is an endearing rags-to-riches tale, as Moore puts everything on the line time and time again, developing his own indie DIY approach to film-making and album-producing. It makes for a surprisingly sweet underdog tale of self-belief and doing things your own way.

If anything, the whole thing is too sweet, cussin' aside. Moore is painted as damned near angelic except for his foul mouth. There are no real rough edges to his character - his overwhelming self-belief is his worst trait, and even that is endearing - while the challenges he faces are never really that challenging.

The characters around Rudy Ray Moore get little definition, but are good fun. Lady Reed (played by Randolph) gets a bit to do, but it's mostly to show how great Moore is, while Key is hilarious as the deadly serious playwright that Moore drags into write his blaxploitation vanity project. Similarly Epps, Robinson and Burgess are good in slight roles.

The scene-stealer is Snipes as director/actor D'Urville Martin. It's a flamboyant and interesting role that Snipes makes his own, and as much as this is Murphy's big comeback, Snipes is potentially on the rebound if he can find more roles that service his under-appreciated skills and under-rated comedic flair like this one.

The film's production design and costumes are outstanding, and they combine with a killer soundtrack that helps capture the era beautifully. It all helps sell the fun and funk of the thing. As flawed as Dolemite... is, it's a great time and a good laugh. It's also a fascinating look into an underground figure who was hugely influential on hip hop and black culture.

And if nothing else, Dolemite... is a worthwhile venture if it helps return Eddie Murphy to greatness.