Blaxploitation films are funny. Parodies of Blaxploitation films are hilarious. It’s incredible how far you can get with if you simply run with all the cheesy writing and over-the-top action.
Movies that just throw everything on red – like you can with your no deposit codes at Fair Go Casino! – and hope for the best.
Black Dynamite, an action-comedy starring Micheal Jai White, is one such parody and is absolutely worth the watch.
It’s dumb, over the top, with a soundtrack that’s as funny as the movie’s plot.
The original Dolemite, an actual Blaxploitation film, when it released back in 1975, was a box-office record-breaker. With a budget of about $100,000, the film made a profit of about $12 million.
Plot
At its most basic, Dolemite is an underdog story about a standup comedian who breaks into movies by refusing to be told ‘no.’
Rudy Ray Moore was first a musician and then a standup comedian who was struggling back in the seventies.
He was influenced by stories he heard from a man named Rico about the character ‘Dolemite and took on the obscene persona for his comedic records.
He became more and more successful in black communities despite the fact that the record-stores refused to sell his records, euphemistically titled, “Eat Out More Often,” This Pussy Belongs To Me,” and The Dirty Dozens.”
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The movie, Dolemite is My Name, follows as Rudy Ray Moore takes the character of Dolemite as far as he can bring it: to the big screen.
He finances a movie using almost every dime he owns, stringing out the budget as far as he can. Resorting to loans and borrows from friends, and is discouraged virtually every step of the way.
The movie Dolemite is a kung-fu action movie about a heroic karate man who is very clearly played by a man who doesn’t know kung-fu or karate.
The director nearly abandons the project by the end, and tells Rudy Ray Moore that ‘no one will see the film.’
And he’s almost right. No theatre except one agrees to play the film, and despite the movie being made, it’s nearly not even shown.
In a radio interview, Rudy Ray Moore is encouraged by Chris Rock’s character to try out a theatre he knows.
At last, against all the odds, the movie is played on the big screen.
The whole film is played up for laughs, and in spite of every piece of conventional wisdom telling him otherwise, the movie becomes a success.
Cast
The cast brings forward some great performances, as famous greats and newer stars come together to make this hilarious comedy.
Eddie Murphy returns to star as Rudy Ray Moore, and he’s as funny as he was back in Coming to America and Trading Places.
Joining him is Keegan-Michael Key and Wesley Snipes. Notable cameos include Snoop Dogg, Bob Odenkirk, Chris Rock, and Ron Cephas Jones. In fact, the casting is excellent all across the board, and everyone shined in this movie.
It was awesome to see Eddie Murphey come out swinging with this new “comeback” hit!
Dolemite is my Name Movie Overall
There’s not much I can really say about this film. It’s funny and heartwarming, it’s an underdog story and a success story, in more ways than one.
This movie is about overcoming not just disadvantages, but racism and cultural barriers. By the very nature of its success (97% on Rotten Tomatoes), the Dolemite is my Name is proof of how much progress has been made.
It successfully represents the past without being ashamed of it. In this age of PC censorship, it’s a relief to finally see something that’s genuinely anti-establishment.
A film truly about overcoming barriers, without beating its audience over the head and creating new barriers as a result.
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