Dolemite Is My Name

According to wannabe Soul singer/songwriter Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy, back on the big screen with a vengeance!), his ditty, “Ringa-linga-dingdong,” should’ve been a big hit, “but then they signed that James Brown that sucked up all the attention.” With a series of not-so-near hits and many misses, Rudy’s entertainment career is batting zero till he meets brilliant street poet-rapper Rico. Stealing Rico’s shtick and taking it on the road coiffed with an awesome faux ‘fro, Rudy’s transformation into the smokin’, blue-jokin’ “Dolemite” kills it across the chitlin’ circuit, but why stop there when Hollywood might be calling (but isn’t)? (Mill Valley Film Festival)