The world premier of DOLEMITE IS MY NAME at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7th was a resounding success. The fans and critics loved the film and it seems to a great degree to have lived up to the initial hype and many still talk Oscar nominations in various categories. Not only is this being seen as a return for Eddie Murphy, but also Wesley Snipes and a break out performance by Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
Take a look at these early reviews:
Awards Circuit compiled several reviews from the evening: TIFF 2019: First Reactions For ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ Applaud a Dynamite Performance From Eddie Murphy
Variety: As its title character might put it, “Dolemite Is My Name” is a total motherf—kin’ blast.
USA Today: Eddie Murphy’s ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ is his greatest-hits role.
Collider: Regardless of how you feel about 1975’s Dolemite, you’ll likely get swept up in Craig Brewer’s joyous, upbeat ode to its creator Rudy Ray Moore, Dolemite Is My Name. The biopic is a labor of love about an entertainer whose work was a labor of love. Yes, Moore wanted to be famous and successful, but he bets on himself and connects to black audiences. Both Moore and Dolemite become icons, and with Eddie Murphy giving a lively and memorable performance at the center, we can’t help but fall in love with this legend.
Vanity Fair: You can hardly imagine a better role for Eddie Murphy than that of blaxploitation-era comedy icon Rudy Ray Moore—and not just because Moore’s is a comeback story.
Entertainment Weekly: Dolemite Is My Name premiere hails triumphant comeback for Eddie Murphy
The Playlist: Eddie Murphy Does Right By Rudy Ray Moore in ‘Dolemite Is My Name’
The Wrap: ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ Turns Into an Eddie Murphy Lovefest in Toronto
Indiewire: Eddie Murphy goes off in Netflix’s balls-to-the-wall bioflick.
The Hollywood Reporter: Dolemite Is My Name is often quite fun, and it celebrates a spirit in which will-do perseveres even in an absence of can-do.
JoBlo: DOLEMITE IS MY NAME marks Eddie Murphy’s first film since the largely unseen MR. CHURCH in 2016, and easily his most prominent film in almost a decade. Since at least the mid-nineties, he’s mostly focused on family films, but this is his long-awaited return to the kind of edgy, R-rated humor that made him a star, and it’s a welcome one at that.
Mashable: Eddie Murphy’s ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ is a rollicking crowdpleaser, just like its hero
Vanyaland: I’m happy to say that classic Eddie is back, and he’s better than ever. Dolemite is My Name is a blast from start to finish in no small part because his energy and vigor are, once again, front and center of a project that challenges him. It is equal parts funny-as-hell and moving without being too light or too cloying.
Consequence of Sound: A celebration of Rudy Ray Moore, the creative process, and black creativity, Dolemite Is My Name is an absolute joy to watch.
AMNY: You don’t have to know a thing about Rudy Ray Moore, the subject of the rollicking biopic “Dolemite Is My Name,” to respond to the sheer blast of unfettered joy that emanates from the movie.
Film Threat: Eddie Murphy has had a return to form, starring in and producing his passion picture, Dolemite Is My Name about the life of Rudy Ray Moore.
IGN: …it’s a genuinely affecting underdog story, and a rallying cry to anyone who has ever dreamed big. Most of all, Dolemite is a heartfelt tribute to a genuine auteur who spent his life spreading laughter and joy, and who made movie magic by always staying true to himself.
Roger Ebert.com: This isn’t facsimile; instead it captures the essence of the person the actor is playing. The real Moore had genuine empathy for the people around him, as well as a tenacity that sprung from his ego yet was tempered by self-deprecation. Murphy conveys all this superbly, much of it reflected in his eyes. There’s that mischievous twinkle we’ve come to know and love Eddie for, but there’s also a sweetness and vulnerability I haven’t seen from Murphy since Lisa gave Prince Akeem back his earrings on the MTA in “Coming to America.”
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