Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A struggling artist creates a pimp persona to launch a career in the blaxploitation film scene.
The story
In 1970s Los Angeles, struggling artist Rudy Ray Moore works in a historic record store while trying to get on the air at an in-store radio station. After being turned down for a comedy slot at a local club, he creates the 'Dolemite' persona, a pimp-like character who performs a crude, foul-mouthed routine. After recording a comedy album and finding success through word-of-mouth, Moore seeks to expand his reach. Inspired by the success of his tour and the popularity of blaxploitation films, he decides to produce his own film starring Dolemite, despite facing initial rejection from major distribution companies.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Rudy Ray Moore, a struggling artist in 1970s L.A., creates the 'Dolemite' persona—a pimp-like character—to perform comedy at a club. After recording a comedy album that gains popularity through word-of-mouth, he tours the Deep South with his friend Ben Taylor and a woman named Lady Reed, who plays 'Queen Bee.' Inspired by the success of his tour and the popularity of blaxploitation films, Moore decides to produce his own film. He secures an advance on royalties from his record company, despite a warning of lifelong debt. He recruits playwright Jerry Jones to write the screenplay and character actor D'Urville Martin to star and direct. They convert an abandoned hotel into a makeshift soundstage, using UCLA film students as a crew. However, Martin quits after the filming of the kung-fu-themed blaxploitation film, claiming it will never be seen. After several distributors reject the film, Moore premieres it in Indiana to a massive crowd. This success catches the attention of Hollywood executive Lawrence Woolner, who offers a distribution deal with Dimension Pictures. Despite reading negative reviews on the way to the Hollywood premiere, Moore and his cast are met with a cheering crowd, and Moore stays outside to entertain them while the others watch the film.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Craig Brewer
- Writers
- Scott Alexander · writer; Larry Karaszewski · writer
- Cast and characters
- Eddie Murphy · Rudy Ray Moore; Keegan-Michael Key; Mike Epps; Craig Robinson; Da'Vine Joy Randolph; Tituss Burgess; Wesley Snipes
- Genres
- biographical; comedy-drama
- Themes
- ambition; identity; artistic struggle
- Tone and mood
- bold; brash; humorous
- Setting
- 1970s Los Angeles
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; comedy-drama; blaxploitation; based on actual events
- Source material / true-story basis
- The life of Rudy Ray Moore
- Content notes
- foul-mouthed
- Reception
- The film received positive reception from both audiences and critics, with praise for Eddie Murphy's performance and the humor. It was named one of the ten best films of the year by the National Board of Review and Time magazine.
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe Award · Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · Nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy · Nomination
- Production trivia
- Eddie Murphy's biopic of Rudy Ray Moore was a long-held dream project.; Nicholas Josef von Sternberg, the cinematographer of the original Dolemite, visited the set and contributed stories.; Rudy Ray Moore is considered to be the 'Godfather of Rap'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…