As the '70s came to a close, Rudy Ray Moore's film career appears to have been on the decline. Blaxploitation films were past their prime, but Moore wasn't quite ready to relinquish the spotlight. In 1982, he released RUDE. Before Rudy Ray Moore ever became renowned for his genre films, he was a stand-up comedian and his popular character Dolemite was a part of his act. Moore was a talented comedian who knew how to work the crowd. As much of his routine was dedicated to his raunchy off-color jokes, he was just as active interacting with the audience and allowing them to participate. Whether these were plants in the audience or just fans of Moore's who knew his shtick, it's fun to watch. Moore isn't alone in his comedy special. He's brought along Leroy and Skillet (familiar faces from PETEY WHEATSTRAW) who contribute a bit of their routine to the intermission. If you're a fan of Moore's films then you're familiar with his humor stylings, as he had a habit of including bits of his routine in his movies. Personally, I'm a fan and enjoyed an extended version of the stand-up moments from DOLEMITE and PETEY WHEATSTRAW.
As funny as Rudy Ray Moore is, this comedy special can be a bit of a chore to watch. It doesn't feel quite like a legitimate special because I could swear some of the footage in this movie is borrowed from his previous movies. It's as if they shot a handful of his shows as filler material for his movies, and this is the extended cut. But that could just be me, as some of the material is obviously recycled. There are a couple of jokes you're bound to have heard before in his movies, but there's also a lot of additional material to keep it fresh (including his entire Dolemite rap). My main problem with RUDE isn't the little bit of rehashed jokes or the feeling that I've seen some of it before but the horrible, horrible audio quality. For whatever reason, be it poor transfer to the newer mediums or just weak original recordings, the audio in this special is constantly going low or cutting out completely. The majority of the movie is intelligible but it gets frustrating when you can't hear the occasional punchline. With it's problems, Rudy Ray Moore's RUDE feels like an amateur effort (technically) but the humor is there to make this comedy special good for more than a few laughs and a decent recommendation for his fans.
