Eddie Murphy digs up a cult classic, reviving Rudy Ray Moore's bombastic, smooth-talking '70s street hero in this tongue-in-cheek backstage fauxposé. Struggling to find a foothold in his mid-forties, Moore resuscitated his stand-up comedy act as Dolemite, the envelope-pushing pimp with a distinguished wardrobe, harsh vocabulary and volumes of off-color anecdotes. Murphy's career hasn't quite followed the same trajectory, but it's wound up in a similar place: listless and lost as father time steals meaningful glances at his wristwatch. The role is fitting, and he's good in it, if not blow-away good. It's no mail-in, but the performance isn't likely to remind anyone of his well-remembered, energetic early roles, and it had the potential to do just that. Eddie walks the walk and talks the talk, but there's a lack of sincerity in his eyes, a reluctance to really cut loose and go wild, that gives the impression this is just another role. At least, that's true when he's playing Moore as Dolemite. His less-frequent takes on the unguarded comedian himself are more subdued and vulnerable. There's an especially sweet chemistry in his platonic friendship with Lady Reed (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), a dynamite pairing on-stage and off, that brings out the best in both. That's where the good stuff lives, and though we get a fair amount of it, I still wanted more.

A funny movie, but essentially a rehash. As with _The Disaster Artist_ a few years ago, I couldn't help noting that most of _Dolemite_'s biggest laughs are just polished re-creations of classic bits that worked better in their original low-fi forms. Points for turning newer audiences on to the material, at any rate.