Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Stung by a string of showbiz failures, floundering comedian Rudy Ray Moore (Academy Award nominee Eddie Murphy) has an epiphany that turns him into a word-of-mouth sensation: he needs to step onstage as someone else.

Inspired by the street mythology of 1970s Los Angeles, Moore takes on the persona of Dolemite – a pimp with a cane and a collection of outrageous fables.

The overly ambitious chancer then convinces a social justice-minded dramatist to write his alter ego a film, incorporating kung fu, car chases and an ex back-up singer. Despite the countless production hurdles and clashes with his pretentious director, Moore’s Dolemite becomes a box-office smash hit.

In the American black community, comedians and rappers throughout the years have praised Moore as a pioneering influence over the past few decades when it comes to movies stemming from the Blaxploitation era.

The film features an all-star supporting cast — including Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Snoop Dogg, Ron Cephas Jones, Barry Shabaka Henley, Tip ‘TI’ Harris, Luenell, Tasha Smith — plus costumes designed by Academy Award winner Ruth E Carter (Black Panther).

The Chicago Tribune says, “By playing a real underdog who became a huge influence on countless rappers and comics coming up behind him, Murphy is once again in comfortable, confident performance territory.”