Rudy Ray Moore is a down-on-his-luck entertainer in Los Angeles in the 1970's. Record store clerk by day and club MC by night, Rudy tries everything he can to get into the entertainment business. Until one day he hears the lyrical, almost poetic musings of hobos and bums nearby. Of particular interest are limericks involving the name "Dolemite." He decides to create a character by the same name and immerses himself in a flamboyant, jive-talking, superstar on the rise. After making successful comedy records, Rudy decides to make his own movie featuring his popular creation as he chases his dreams of success and entertaining the people in a way that only he can.
Getting into show business is a hellacious struggle. Even trying to be moderately successful in any entertainment field is like trying to climb a rainy mountainside with a two-ton boulder tied to your waist on a bungee cord. That's why seeing someone who could be pigeon-holed as "down and out" finally make good or make something of themselves can be inspiring to others in similar situations. Here you have Rudy, who's stuck working at what he himself calls a "temporary day job," struggling for a way to make people laugh and have a good time and become successful in the process.
Eddie Murphy, with this one role, has come back to peak form not just as a comedian, but as an actor as well. His (in my staunch opinion) Oscar-worthy performance carries the movie on its shoulders almost effortlessly. If anyone else had been in the role, I would dare to say it might not have had as much impact and resonance. As some may know, Murphy himself was going through a tough time in Hollywood, with failed movie after failed movie and his stock plummeting. But like with Rudy Ray Moore, sometimes you just need that one shot to really get things going and working in your favor.
Dolemite Is My Name shows the highs and lows of perseverance. With every success Rudy faces, he's hit with a setback. He tries to work a longer set for his MC position but the club manager sternly refuses. He then finds a way to bring the house down with the creation of Dolemite. Rudy decides to make a movie but finds that he is woefully out of his depth as a filmmaker and financier. He then hustles to get the money to pay the cast and crew. One by one, distributors refuse to play his movie, until he takes a chance at playing Dolemite at a theater owned by a relative of a radio host who wanted to know if the movie was ever coming out. While Rudy does feel the frustration almost to the point of giving up, something or someone prompts him back on point so he can complete his goals.
While watching the film, I couldn't help but think of an early creative inspiration of mine, Adaptation, with Nic Cage as a struggling screenwriter trying to make a compelling story of a reporter's investigation of a particularly rare orchid. It showcased the internal battle to make a story about what amounted to little more than a book report engaging to an audience. Self-loathing and self-doubt crept in at every opportunity, but despite all of it, Cage's character still pushed through, even when his life was on the line. It shows the complete war of imaginative attrition that creative people can and often do go through when making art, especially for a living.
It's a rocky and tumultuous road to make a living doing something you love. Even achieving moderate success can seem herculean in time and effort put in. The saying goes, "Do what you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life." But we all know that isn't true. Doing what we love takes work because love takes work. If it's a passion project, or in a relationship, or even getting through the day. It takes work and effort. Some might reply, "But they mean it won't feel like work." But the thing is, they're wrong there, too. Sometimes the things you love will exhaust you, frustrate you, grate on you, irritate you, maybe even drive you mad. But none of that truly diminishes that love. We keep going because we believe the reward will be worth it. And sometimes it is, and sometimes, it falters and ultimately fails. But without the will to try and push forward, we will never really, truly know what we're capable of.
