Netflix’s new comedy Dolemite is My Name is an energetic and wildly entertaining romp made better by the fact that it is a true story. The movie focuses on Rudy Ray Moore, a man who wanted to make it in show business so bad, he went out to make his own film which became a legendary Blaxploitation film called Dolemite.

Many people have pointed to similarities between this film and James Franco’s The Disaster Artist, which is about the making of The Room. Both Dolemite is My Name and The Disaster Artist are tales of the unusual films made by strange yet passionate men. While they share a lot in common, there are some things each film does better than the other. Here are some reasons Dolemite is My Name is the better film and some reasons The Disaster Artist is better.

Dolemite Is My Name: The Message

There is a message at each of these films that you should follow your dreams and make them come true on your own. However, Dolemite is My Name sells that message in a more emotionally effective way.

In The Disaster Artist, Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) decides he wants to make a movie and goes out to do it. He has no knowledge about filmmaking, but he has enough money that he can just pay people to make his dream come true. Rudy is someone who has to struggle the whole time to get the job done and puts up a real fight to make his movie.

The Disaster Artist: Movie Within The Movie

These movies were not hugely popular when they were first released, but they certainly have found a cult following for themselves. However, among modern audiences, The Room is certainly the better-known film out of the two.

Dolemite might be a film more popular with an older generation, while The Room has become more famous over the years thanks to Youtube. While Dolemite is the more interesting movie of the two, having the context of The Room so widely known better helps The Disaster Artist tell its story.

Dolemite Is My Name: Lead Performance

Both films are led by actors giving very energetic performances as these determined wannabe filmmakers. However, it is Eddie Murphy’s performance as Rudy that stands out as the more substantial part.

Franco is very funny as Wiseau, but he’s really just doing a very good impersonation of the strange character. Murphy has a lot more to play with, showing us many different sides of Rudy. He is the energetic showman as well as the self-conscious man who comes from a troubled past and has faced a lot of rejection. It is one of Murphy’s best performances of his long career.

The Disaster Artist: Oddball

Though Murphy gives a fantastic performance, when it comes to the main characters in each of the films, Tommy Wiseau is certainly the most interesting. The Disaster Artist actually benefits from the fact that so little is known about Wiseau, as it helps to create an enigmatic figure at the center of the movie.

It’s much easier to relate to Rudy Ray Moore, but it’s a bit more fun to see Wiseau awkwardly stumble through the filmmaking process. He might be a bit of a cartoon character, but cartoon characters can be a whole lot of fun.

Dolemite Is My Name: Supporting Cast

Along with the solid leading men, each film benefits from an all-star cast. While The Disaster Artist may have bigger names, most of the supporting cast is really just there to react to all the weird things Wiseau says and does. Dolemite is My Name, on the other hand, never makes you forget this was a team effort.

The crew that helps Rudy pull off making the movie is filled with memorable and likable characters. There are Rudy’s old friends who help him the whole way through, the young crew excited to be there, and even a scene-stealing performance from Wesley Snipes as the movie’s unenthusiastic director.

The Disaster Artist: The Train Wreck

As popular as these movies have become, it’s unlikely anyone would call them masterpieces. In fact, The Room is often called one of the worst movies of all time. While Dolemite is clearly an amateur production, they at least knew they were making a comedy.

That actually makes the making of The Room a lot more interesting. You sort of have to cringe through every bad decision and outrageous idea Tommy Wiseau comes up within The Disaster Artist. It becomes that slow-motion crash that you just can’t look away from.

Dolemite Is My Name: Movie Making

Both films are about people realizing their dreams of making a movie. However, the movie-making process in Dolemite is My Name seems a lot more magical than how it is depicted in The Disaster Artist.

Again, The Disaster Artist is about a terrible movie and has a lot of fun laughing at the ridiculousness of the process. However, Dolemite is My Name shows really passionate people instead of one guy with all the money. While the movie might not be a masterpiece, it’s fun seeing these people problem solving and working so hard to get the movie done.

The Disaster Artist: Comedy

To be clear, both of these movies are hilarious. They are great fun with so many gut-busting sequences. But The Disaster Artist is a bit more willing to embrace the surreal, which is necessary for a movie about Tommy Wiseau. The result is a lot more outrageous humor.

Eddie Murphy gives an all-around great performance, but Franco is hilarious with every line he delivers. Wiseau is such a strange character that it’s hard not to laugh every time he is on the screen.

Dolemite Is My Name: Heart

Though The Disaster Artist might have more laugh-out-loud moments, Dolemite is My Name is clearly the movie with the most heart. While Tommy Wiseau’s dream is admirable, he is rather domineering and rude on the movie set.

For Rudy Roy Moore, making movies is more of a communal experience. He is doing it for his community and the idea of cinematic representation is a very topical and touching subject to focus on. We are rooting for the production of Dolemite because it means something, whereas The Room is just one man’s egotistical project.

The Disaster Artist: Tragedy

Both movies seem to end with the same conclusion. Despite their respective films not being received the way the creators imagined, they did find an audience and will continue to last for years to come. However, in the case of Tommy Wiseau, there is an underlining sadness to the story.

Wiseau is presented as someone whose only dream is to be a successful actor, but the movie makes it clear that he just doesn’t have the talent. While The Room is embraced, it’s clear that it is not in the way he wanted. The tragic reality of the unrealized Hollywood dream is fascinating.