Opening

78% Fast & Furious 6 May 24
—— The Hangover Part III May 23
—— Epic May 24
94% Before Midnight May 24
—— We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks May 24
—— Fill the Void May 24
—— A Green Story May 24
—— Alyce Kills May 24

Top Box Office

87% Star Trek Into Darkness $70.6M
78% Iron Man 3 $35.2M
49% The Great Gatsby $23.4M
47% Pain & Gain $3.1M
69% The Croods $2.8M
77% 42 $2.7M
56% Oblivion $2.2M
98% Mud $2.2M
37% Peeples $2.2M
8% The Big Wedding $1.1M

Coming Soon

—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
88% The East May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31

Dolemite (1975)

tomatometer

No Reviews Yet...

Release Date: Jan 1, 1975 Wide

audience

63

liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 5,693

My Rating

Movie Info

Stand-up comedy legend Rudy Ray Moore's foul-mouthed rap routines took many of the elements of blaxploitation films -- pimps, gangsters, and sex -- to their hilarious limits. It was only natural that he should take his stage persona to the big screen as Dolemite, the "baddest" cool cat in town. Dolemite is a wrongly accused clubowner who is set up by arch-rival Willie Green (D'Urville Martin, who directed) and sent to jail. A madam named Queen Bee (Lady Reed) gets him released on the condition

R,

Action & Adventure

Apr 27, 1999

Xenon

Cast

ADVERTISEMENT

All Critics (7) | Fresh (3) | Rotten (4) | DVD (4)

A classic among lovers of truly bad movies.

January 14, 2011 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Not as good as "The Human Tornado" but absolutely essential as a cornerstone of Blaxploitation cinema.

December 14, 2007
ColeSmithey.com

So badly made, it's mesmerizing. Classic cinematic cheese.

April 2, 2004
Nitrate Online

This is not a good or enjoyable movie, no matter what the hip guy in your film class says.

November 19, 2003 Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies

What's cool with a movie like Dolemite, a pure product of the everything goes 1970s, is how free and uninhibited it is.

September 10, 2002 Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | Comment (1)
Montreal Film Journal

Audience Reviews for Dolemite

Not as fun as other flicks with good ol Rudy, but it's pretty much a mandatory stop for any fan of blaxploitation cinema.
July 17, 2011
DragonEyeMorrison
Tsubaki Sanjuro

Super Reviewer

"I'm gonna let 'em know that Dolemite is my name, and fuckin' up mother fuckers is my game!"

It's memorable lines such as this that I could use as evidence to support the argument that this is probably what it would have looked like had Edward D. Wood, Jr. directed a blaxploitation film. In fact, that's a great way to look at this. It's so awful and ridiculous (even for a blaxploitation film), that, like Wood's films, there is a strange and compelling genius to their high level of ineptitude.

Even if this is a bad film as far as bad films go, it gets not only a pass from me, but high praise because it is ridiculously entertaining, hilarious, and the polar opposite of boring. I swear that some of this had to have been intentional, because it could sure play as a satire, especially given that this came out during the last year of the 'hey day' of these types of films.

What I appreciate about this is the ambiguity. That I cannot tell if this film is sincere or just satirical (but playing it straight) is awesome, and makes me like it even more. In fact, a good comparison to make would be to Black Dynamite-that was a spoof, but was done so well it became a legit entry into the genre.

The acting is poor, the stroy and characters are flimsier than wet cardboard, and there's continuity errors galore- but that's all part of the fun and charm. Moore is inconsistent with his performance, but does show some energy and charisma from time to time, especially in the "toast" scenes- two parts of the film that are actually pretty solid. There actually is some subtext, but most people who watch this are probably just gonna look over it, which is unfortunate.

Some may think I'm giving this film more attention than it probably deserves, but that's unfair. That I am able to ramble on about this is a testament to the fact that this film has plenty of redeeming qualities.

But, as always, perspective is everything. However, if you like ridiculousness, camp, and blaxploitation, you'll probably get a kick out of this. This is especially true if you think that these films are worth scholarly attention, or at least intellectual conversation.
June 14, 2010
cosmo313
Chris Weber

Super Reviewer

    1. Dolemite: I'm gonna let 'em know that Dolemite is back on the scene! I'm gonna let 'em know that Dolemite is my name, and fuckin' up motherfuckers is my game!
    – Submitted by Stefan G (9 months ago)

Discussion Forum

There are no discussion threads for Dolemite yet.

Help | About | Jobs | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Mobile