What the Hell Happened to Eddie Murphy?

By this point in the “What the Hell Happened?” series, a pattern has developed.  The career usually begins with TV roles or modeling gigs.  Then a big break, super stardom and a stint on the A-list.

Sometimes the celebrity rides on the top of the a-list for years.  Other times, they come crashing down relatively quickly.  Eventually, their time in the spotlight ends.  Sometimes they flame out in a spectacularly public fashion.  Other times, they just walk away.

Eddie Murphy’s story breaks from the formula.  Sure, there is a rise and fall.  But in Murphy’s case, there’s not just one.

Murphy rose to superstardom, slipped into irrelevance, reinvented himself as a family friendly leading man, had a scandal, dropped into obscurity, and then threatened to stage a come back multiple times without ever actually coming back.

Murphy - SNL
Eddie Murphy – Saturday Night Live – 1980 – 1984

Murphy started performing as a stand-up comedian as a teenager.  In 1980, at the age of 19, Murphy joined the cast of Saturday Night Live.  At the time, he was the youngest cast member in the history of the show.

In the early 80s, SNL was in its first real slump.  It was actually facing the possibility of cancellation.  Murphy and co-star Joe Piscopo were the sole stand-outs of the cast and arguably saved the show.  Murphy became the show’s clear star with characters like Buckwheat, Gumby and Mr. Robinson.  He also did a killer Stevie Wonder impression.

Murphy also has the distinction of being the only cast member to host the show while he was still a regular cast member.  Murphy remained on SNL until 1984.  Once he left, he would not return for over three decades.  According to Murphy:

“They were shitty to me on Saturday Night Live a couple of times after I’d left the show. They said some shitty things. There was that David Spade sketch [when Spade showed a picture of Murphy around the time of Vampire in Brooklyn and said, “Look, children, a falling star”]. I made a stink about it, it became part of the folklore. What really irritated me about it at the time was that it was a career shot. It was like, “Hey, come on, man, it’s one thing for you guys to do a joke about some movie of mine, but my career? I’m one of you guys. How many people have come off this show whose careers really are fucked up, and you guys are shitting on me?” And you know every joke has to go through all the producers, and ultimately, you know Lorne or whoever says, [Lorne Michaels voice] “OK, it’s OK to make this career crack…”

Eddie Murphy - 48 Hours - 1982
Eddie Murphy – 48 Hours – 1982

While Murphy was still on SNL, he made his feature film debut in 1982’s 48 Hours.

I don’t think the impact of 48 Hours can be over-stated.  It wasn’t just a smash hit.  It practically invented a genre that would dominate the film landscape for the next decade.  The buddy cop movie began with Nolte and Murphy in 48 Hours.

Murphy commented on why the movie – in which Nolte’s character says some very politically incorrect racial slurs – worked:

You know why it worked then and the reason why it wouldn’t now? My significance in film – and again I’m not going to be delusional – was that I’m the first black actor to take charge in a white world onscreen. That’s why I became as popular as I became. People had never seen that before. Black-exploitation movies, even if you dealt with the Man, it was in your neighborhood, never in their world. In 48 Hours, that’s why it worked, because I’m running it, making the story go forward. If I was just chained to the steering wheel sitting there being called “watermelon,” even back then they would have been like, “This is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!”

Nolte was supposed to host SNL when the movie opened.  But he partied a little too hard and had to cancel.  Instead, Murphy – still a cast member on the show – took over the hosting duties.

Murphy was already a star thanks to SNL.  But 48 Hours made him a movie star.  Murphy was nominated for a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year.  He lost to Ben Kingsley for Ghandi.

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Eddie Murphy – Trading Places – 1983

The following year, Murphy teamed with SNL alumn Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places.

Murphy played a poor conman who trades places with a rich Wall Street trader played by Aykroyd.  Jamie Lee Curtis played a hooker with a heart of gold who helps Aykroyd deal with his new status quo.

Trading Places was directed by John Landis who would work with Murphy two more times.  The rich man/poor man comedy was an even greater hit than 48 Hours.  Murphy was nominated for another Golden Globe.

Eddie Murphy - Delirious - 1983
Eddie Murphy – Delirious – 1983

Murphy was 2 for 2 in Hollywood and was still a star on TV.  He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Trading Places.  Plus he had a hit stand-up comedy special in Eddie Murphy: Delirious that same year.

Murphy’s career was hot.  He wasn’t just a rising star.  He was shooting straight to the top.

Murphy - Ghostbusters
Eddie Murphy – Ghostbusters Mock-Up – 1984

Following Trading Places, Dan Aykroyd actually wrote a part in Ghostbusters specifically for Murphy.  Murphy was unable to work it into his schedule due to his commitment to Beverly Hills Cop, so the part went to Ernie Hudson instead.

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Eddie Murphy – Best Defense – 1984

In 1984, Murphy made his first misstep.  He appeared in the notorious turkey, Best Defense.

Test screenings for the Dudley Moore comedy were so horrible that the studio created Murphy’s part after the fact.  The movie was then marketed as an Eddie Murphy movie despite the fact his role is a glorified cameo.  He’s even credited as a “strategic guest star”.

When he hosted SNL later that year, Murphy joked about the failure of Best Defense and how he thought it might have killed his movie career.  He jokingly admitted to making Best Defense for the money.

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Eddie Murphy – Beverly Hills Cop – 1984

Later that year, Murphy rebounded with Beverly Hills Cop.

Beverly Hills Cop was the movie that made Murphy a star.  Up until this point, Murphy was a rising star.  But Beverly Hills Cop cemented his A-list status with authority.  It also nabbed him a third Golden Globe nomination.

Before Murphy signed on to star in Beverly Hills Cop, Sylvester Stallone was attached to the project.  Stallone famously walked off Beverly Hills Cop because he was uncomfortable with the comedy.

When Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop was a huge action-comedy hit, Stallone responded with his version of the movie.

Sylvester Stallone - Cobra - 1986
Sylvester Stallone – Cobra – 1986

Stallone’s Cobra was only unintentionally funny.  It highlighted the changing tides as Murphy eclipsed Stallone on the A-list.

How big was Murphy after Beverly Hills Cop?  Big enough that he was allowed to start a recording career.  Big enough that Rick James produced his record.  And big enough that his single, Party All the Time, was actually a hit in spite of sounding like this:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5LX16zia2k]

Party All the Time has to embarrass Murphy today.  It qualifies him for one-hit wonder status.  But it also speaks to just how big of a star he was at the time.  They don’t let you make a vanity record unless you’re a superstar.

Eddie Murphy - The Golden Child - 1986
Eddie Murphy – The Golden Child – 1986

1986’s The Golden Child was originally an action adventure movie intended for Mel Gibson.  But when Gibson dropped out, Murphy stepped in and it was reworked as an action/comedy.

Murphy remembers his daughter’s reaction to the movie:

One of my youngest daughters, Bella, she was eight and she’d never seen The Golden Child, but as soon as it came on, she was like, “Wait, are you going to have that hat on the whole movie?” I said, “Yeah…” She said, “I can’t watch the movie. That hat is horrible!”

The Golden Child was a hit, but it was a disappointment in comparison to Beverly Hills Cop or even Trading Places.  It still did better than Cobra though.

Around this time, Murphy had another interesting missed opportunity.  Originally, Murphy was supposed to appear in Star Trek 4.  He was a big Star Trek fan, but a deal couldn’t be struck.  So instead the part was re-written as a love interest for Captain Kirk.  On the whole, I’m going to venture that one worked out for the best.

Murphy - beverly hills cop 2
Eddie Murphy – Beverly Hills Cop 2 – 1987

In 1987, Murphy returned to Axel Foley for Beverly Hills Cop 2.  The sequel, directed by Tony Scott, was flashier and more violent than the first film.  Critics complained that Beverly Hills Cop 2 was a louder, paler imitation of the original.

In spite of bad reviews, Cop 2 was a hit at the box office.

murphy - raw
Eddie Murphy – Raw – 1987

Later that year, Murphy took a victory lap in the form of the stand-up comedy performance film, Raw.

Raw wasn’t as good as Delirious.  But it was a hit.  In fact, it was the biggest stand-up comedy movie of all times.

Murphy - Coming to America
Eddie Murphy – Coming to America – 1988

In 1987, Murphy reteamed with his Trading Places director, John Landis, for Coming to AmericaComing to America was a gamble for Muphy.  He broke with the action/comedy formula for a romantic comedy that bordered on being a fairy tale.

Things got heated between Murphy and director, John Landis.  Reportedly, Murphy grabbed Landis by the throat at some point during filming.  According to Landis:

“The guy on Trading Places was young and full of energy and curious and funny and fresh and great. The guy on Coming to America was the pig of the world… But I still think he’s wonderful in the movie.”

Murphy was credited with the story for Coming to America.  But humorist Art Buchwald claimed that the story was ripped off from a script he had optioned from him in 1982.  Buchwald won a breach of contract lawsuit.  Paramount, through some fancy accounting, claimed that the movie never made any profit.  Eventually, the matter was settled out of court.

Coming to America received mostly positive reviews and was a hit at the box office.  Murphy seemed to have made the transition from foul-mouthed action star to romantic leading man.

murphy - harlem nights
Eddie Murphy – Harlem Nights – 1989

Murphy sought to build on that success later that same year with Harlem Nights.  Once again, Murphy was cast as a romantic leading man.  But this time, he was also the film’s director.  And to sweeten the deal, Murphy got to work with two of his idols, Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx.

There was tension between Murphy and Pryor on the set.  According to Murphy:

When I showed up, Richard felt threatened by me. It was this weird “I like this motherfucker, but he is going to take my spot.” Richard went through the little head trip, but we were cool. I would think he would like me to play him. We just got in the mix when they still did one nigger at a time in Hollywood.

Unfortunately, Harlem Nights wasn’t as successful as Coming to America.  The reviews were toxic.  And while the movie didn’t bomb, it was a disappointment by Murphy’s standards of the time.

Eddie Murphy - Another 48 Hours - 1990
Eddie Murphy – Another 48 Hours – 1990

In 1990, Murphy retreated back to action films for the 48 Hours sequel, Another 48 Hours.

Everything about Another 48 Hours is a lazy as its title.  Murphy in particular looks bored to be there.  This is a criticism that will come up again and again in Murphy’s later work.  The energetic comedian who electrified audiences in the original 48 Hours was nowhere to be seen in the sleepy sequel.

Like Harlem Nights, Another 48 Hours got toxic reviews.  It’s box office performance was not an abject failure.  In fact, it outgrossed the original.  But it was a disappointment compared to expectations for a Murphy action/comedy following Beverly Hills Cop.

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Eddie Murphy – Boomerang – 1992

In 1992, Murphy made another bid for being a romantic leading man.  Murphy plays a serial womanizer who has to choose between a vixen played by Robin Givens and a good girl played by Halle Berry.  Sheesh!  Tough choice!  Martin Lawrence and David Allen Grier played Murphy’s two best friends.

The basic premise of the movie started with Murphy.  He was looking for ways to branch out as a traditional leading man after the success of Coming to America.  Murphy enlisted a couple of writers from his days on Saturday Night Live to write the script.  Then he approached Reginald Hudlin to direct.  Hudlin hand-picked Givens and Berry as Murphy’s leading ladies.  Grier was popular thanks to In Living Color.  Hudlin cast Lawrence and Tisha Campbell because he had worked with them on House Party. Hudlin set out to distinguish Murphy’s characters from most black characters in movies.  According to Hudlin:

 “So typically when it comes to black characters, either you have to be a successful, smart business person, or you’re hip, but you’re never both.  And one of the reasons why the movie has had such enduring popularity is because the character is both. He’s much more in the Cary Grant mode of business person.”

Reviews for Boomerang were mixed.  Its box office performance was also a mixed bag.  On the one hand, it failed to break $100 million dollars domestically.  On the other hand, Murphy had been on a bit of a losing streak coming off of Harlem Nights and Another 48 Hours.  Relative to those films, Boomerang was a success albeit a modest one.

Murphy - The Distinguished Gentleman
Eddie Murphy – The Distinguished Gentleman – 1992

The same can not be said for The Disntinguished Gentleman.

Disntinguished Gentleman once again cast Murphy as a conman.  It was the sort of role that made him a star in Trading Places.  But the Murphy of old was nowhere to be found in The Distinguished Gentleman.

When the trailer for Tower Heist was released, I remember people commenting that it seems like Eddie Murphy was doing an impression of Chris Tucker doing Eddie Murphy.  That started with The Distinguished Gentleman.  Whenever post-Cop Murphy tried to make a movie like the pre-Cop Murphy, something about it wrang false.

The reviews called the comedy “tepid” and audiences failed to show up.

In 1992, Murphy also appeared in the video for Michael Jackson’s single, Remember the time.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeiFF0gvqcc]

The video, as was the case with all Jackson’s videos, was quite a production.  In addition to big name stars, Boyz N the Hood director John Singleton was hired to direct.  This made the video feel more like a mini-movie.

Murphy - Beverly Hills Cop 3
Eddie Murphy – Beverly Hills Cop III – 1994

Murphy sought to revive his flagging career by returning to his star making Axel Foley role for Beverly Hills Cop III.  John Landis, who had directed two of Murphy’s biggest box office hits, came on to direct the sequel.  The two famously fought on the set of Coming to America.  But both were desperate for a hit and decided to put their differences aside for what looked like a sure-thing.  According to Murphy, he doesn’t believe in holding grudges:

Yeah, I had lunch with John about a month ago. We did the ill-fated Beverly Hills Cop III after Coming to America. Yeah, I’m cool with John, I did some great movies with him. Rarely do I have any shittiness that stays shitty. I either resolve it or walk away. Rarely do I let shit linger.

But Beverly Hills Cop III flopped.  The franchise was effectively killed although from time to time there is talk of a fourth film in the series.  Recently, there has even been talk of a Beverly Hills Cop TV show.

Lest you think Murphy stopped recording after his Party All the Time days, think again.  In 1993, Murphy teamed with the King of Pop for an R&B song that would have been huge 10 years before it was released.

murphy - vampire in brooklyn
Eddie Murphy – Vampire in Brooklyn – 1995

In 1995, Murphy hit what would be seen at the time as a career low point with Vampire in BrooklynVampire in Brooklyn is a bizarre horror/comedy hybrid which is actually directed by Wes Craven.

Murphy summed up Vampire in Brooklyn’s failure thusly:

“The only way I was able to do Nutty Professor and to get out of my Paramount deal, I had to do Vampire in Brooklyn. But you know what ruined that movie? The wig. I walked out in that long-haired wig and people said, ‘Oh, get the f–k out of here! What the hell is this?'”

Whether the problem with the movie was the wig or not is debatable.  But either way, Vampire in Brooklyn received negative reviews and disappointed at the box office.

murphy - nutty professor
Eddie Murphy – The Nutty Professor – 1996

Murphy’s career slump turned around with an unlikely project.  In 1996, Murphy starred in a remake of the Jerry Lewis comedy, The Nutty Professor.  The original was kind of a Jeckly and Hyde story with Lewis’ version of Hyde serving as a satire of his former comic partner, Dean Martin.  In Murphy’s version, he wore a fat suit.

I remember hearing about the project and thinking there was no way a Nutty Professor remake could be a hit.  Much less one that centered on a fat suit.  However, Murphy seemed energized for the first time in years.  According to Murphy:

I had a bunch of movies that didn’t work. People were saying, “Eddie’s not good,” so I was like, “Not good? Let me show you what I can fucking do. I’ll do something where I play all these different characters.” It’s a trip, it seems every five or six years, you have to do something to remind them that they like you.

Where Lewis satirized Dean Martin, Murphy seemed to be satirizing his old comic image.  And the fat suit allowed him to hide in a character in a way he never had before.

Reviews for The Nutty Professor were mixed.  Many didn’t like the crass “fart” humor.  But most praised Murphy’s performance in multiple roles.  Murphy was nominated a Golden Globe for the fourth time – his first time since Beverly Hills Cop.  More importantly, Nutty Professor was a hit at the box office.

Murphy - Metro
Eddie Murphy – Metro – 1997

Murphy followed up The Nutty Professor with a return to the action genre in Metro in 1997.

And just that quickly, the comeback lost its momentum.  What should have been a return to Murphy’s glory days in 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop was instead a critical misfire and a dud at the box office.

It seemed like Nutty Professor might just be a fluke.

Murphy - Arrest
Eddie Murphy – People Magazine Article – 1997

Making matters worse, Murphy had an embarrassing scandal.  He was stopped by police for picking up a transvestite prostitute in a bad part of Hollywood.  Murphy explained that he was up late due to a bout of insomnia and was trying to be a Good Samaritan.  He told People magazine, that it was “an act of kindness that got turned into a f—king horror show.”

You might think that kind of publicity would hinder Murphy’s career transformation from foul mouthed comedian into a kiddie movie star.  But you would be wrong.

Murphy - Mulan
Eddie Murphy – Mulan – 1998

Murphy started the summer of 1998 with some memorable voice work as Mushu the dragon in Disney’s Mulan.  It was a sign of things to come for Murphy.

Mulan isn’t the best-remembered Disney movie.  For whatever reason, most of Disney’s releases in the 90’s post Lion King have faded into obscurity.  But Mulan was well-reviewed and was a hit at the box office even if it didn’t hit the same high grosses as The Lion King.

Murphy - Dr Doolittle
Eddie Murphy – Dr. Doolittle – 1998

Just a couple weeks after the release of Mulan, Murphy had a massive live-action hit in the family comedy, Dr. Dolittle.  Murphy played a doctor who finds out he can speak to animals.  And amazingly enough, they all have celebrity voices.  The best thing about the movie is that the tiger Murphy helps is voiced by Albert Brooks.

Against all odds, Murphy had reinvented himself.  The brash, vulgar comedian from Raw, 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop was gone.  In his place was a fairly sedate guy who let animals and cute kids do most of the heavy lifting.  But it was a formula that worked.

There’s an entire generation that only knows this Murphy.  The guy from the bland family films.  It really blows my mind to think about it.  I wonder what their reaction will be when they eventually see one of Murphy’s earlier films.  Probably a lot like my reaction the first time I saw Robin Williams’ stand-up after knowing him primarily as Mork.

murphy - holy man
Eddie Murphy – Holy Man – 1998

With the 1-2 punch of Mulan and Dr. Dolittle, it looked like Murphy was back in business.  But an Eddie Murphy comeback never lasts very long.  Later that year, Murphy starred in Holy Man.

Holy Man co-starred Jeff Goldblum and Kelly Preston.  Murphy himself called it a horrendous movie.  Critics and audiences agreed.  Holy Man bombed.

lawrence - life
Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence – Life – 1999

In 1999, Murphy co-starred with Martin Lawrence in the prison comedy-drama Life.

Murphy and Lawrence play two men who are wrongly convicted of murder.  Together, they serve a life sentence.  During their 65 years of imprisonment, they learn the importance of life.  Sounds hysterical, doesn’t it?  Or crushingly depressing.

When they made Boomerang, Murphy was a movie star while Lawrence was an up-and-coming stand-up comic.  But at this point in their careers, Murphy and Lawrence were on roughly equal footing.

Reviews were mixed.  Despite opening at #1 at the box office, Life failed to earn back it’s production costs making it a flop.

Eddie Murphy and Heather Graham - Bowfinger - 1999
Eddie Murphy and Heather Graham – Bowfinger – 1999

Later that year, Murphy starred opposite comedy legend Steve Martin and Heather Graham in Frank Oz’s under-rated Hollywood satire, Bowfinger.

Martin played a down-on-his-luck movie producer trying to make a low budget science fiction movie.  Murphy plays dual roles.  He plays a big action star and his goofy brother.  Graham plays an actress looking for her big break.

Bowfinger got very good reviews.  It did well at the box office, but was not a runaway hit.  Which is a shame because it may be the last really funny movie either Murphy or Martin ever starred in.

murphy - nutty professor 2
Eddie Murphy – Nutty Professor II: The Klumps – 2000

In 2000, Murphy put the fat suit back on for Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps.  Since Murphy’s multiple performances as the Klump clan was the most popular aspect of the original film, the sequel beefed up these parts.  Janet Jackson stepped in as his new love interest.

The critics weren’t especially kind calling the movie “crass” and “vulgar”.  But audiences still showed up enough to make Nutty 2 a hit.  A third movie in the franchise has been in the planning stages for some time.

murphy - shrek
Eddie Murphy – Shrek – 2001

Summer 2001 looked a lot like Murphy’s successful summer in 1998.  It started with voice work in an animated hit this time Dreamwork’s Shrek.  Mike Myers replaced Chris Farley as the titular ogre.  Murphy once again played an animated sidekick (Donkey and Mushu are practically the same character).  And Cameron Diaz played the lovely princess.

Usually, I don’t say a lot about voice work.  It rarely has a tremendous impact on an actor’s career one way or another.  But Shrek is a special case.

Shrek was a huge hit with critics and audiences.  Both Myers and Murphy would practically retreat into these roles later in their careers.

murphy - dr dolittle 2
Eddie Murphy – Dr. Dolittle 2 – 2001

Murphy followed up Shrek with a Dr. Dolittle sequel.  Murphy still played a doctor who speaks to animals who speak back in celebrity voices.  This time, the plot centered around a bear voiced by Steve Zahn.

Reviews were mixed as critics got tired of Murphy’s family film formula.  But Dolittle 2 was another hit.

murphy - showtime
Eddie Murphy – Showtime – 2002

In 2002, Murphy tried to break away from the kid flicks to disastrous effect.  He started off the year by teaming with Robert De Niro (who was in the process of reinventing himself as a comic actor) and Rene Russo in the cop comedy flop Showtime.

De Niro played a no-nonsense cop who is ordered to participate in a reality show produced by Russo’s character.  The show pairs De Niro with a cop who wants to be an actor played by Murphy.  William Shatner shows up to give De Niro acting tips which is easily the best gag in the movie.

Showtime received terrible reviews and flopped at the box office.

pluto nash
Eddie Murphy – The Adventures of Pluto Nash – 2002

Then came the sci-fi comedy, The Adventures of Pluto Nash.

Nash had actually been sitting on a shelf for two years before finally being released in 2002.  It was an extremely expensive movie starring a big Hollywood star.  But it was so bad, the studio waited two years to release it.

The Adventures of Pluto Nash is one of the most infamous turkey’s of all time.  And 2002 was arguably the worst year of Murphy’s career.

murphy - i spy
Eddie Murphy – I Spy – 2002

Murphy scored a failure tri-fecta with the big screen adaptation of the TV show I, Spy co-starring Owen Wilson.

Murphy was nominated in two categories for all three of his 2002 films at the Golden Razzies.  He was nominated for Worst Actor and Worst Screen Couple (along with De Niro, Wilson and his own “clone” in Pluto Nash).

murphy - daddy daycare
Eddie Murphy – Daddy Day Care – 2003

After 2002, you can hardly blame Murphy for retreating into unispired family comedies.  It seems like all he has to do is show up and the movies make money.  In 2003, Daddy Day Care was universally panned.  And yet, it was a big enough hit to merit a sequel.

Murphy actually skipped the sequel which bombed without him.  Instead, poor Cuba Gooding Jr got to waste his Oscar cachet on Daddy Day Camp.

murphy - haunted mansion
Eddie Murphy – The Haunted Mansion – 2003

As a fan of Disney theme parks, Murphy’s next movie pains me.

The Haunted Mansion is one of the most beloved theme park attractions in the world.  But the big screen adaptation is a big, bloated unfunny mess.

Reviews were brutal.  But family audiences didn’t care.  Amazingly enough, The Haunted Mansion was a hit!  It wasn’t as successful as Disney’s other theme park attraction based movie, Pirates of the Caribbean, so a direct sequel was never made.  But there have been rumors of a reboot possibly by director Guillermo del Torro.

If you ever want to see our good friend, Daffy Stardust, get angry, just mention this movie.

myers - shrek 2
Shrek 2 – 2004

In 2004, Murphy returned to voice Donkey again in Shrek 2.  We’ll talk more about the Shrek franchise later.  For now, suffice it to say that Shrek 2 was for a time the highest grossing animated feature of all times.

Another family-friendly hit for Murphy.

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Eddie Murphy – Dreamgirls – 2006

Other than voicing Donkey, Murphy was not seen on screen between The Haunted Mansion in 2003 and Dreamgirls in 2006.  Dreamgirls, based on the Broadway musical, was a game changer for Murphy.  For once, he had a meaty supporting role instead of a bland leading role in a toothless family comedy.  Murphy was clearly energized by the material.

Not only did Murphy get the best reviews he had received in years, but he actually got some awards recognition.  After multiple Golden Globe nominations, Murphy finally took home the prize for Best Supporting Actor.  He also scored an Oscar nomination.  But instead of winning, Norbit happened.

A still from the film Norbitt, starring Eddie Murphy.
Eddie Murphy – Norbitt – 2007

If Dreamgirls opened doors for Murphy, Norbit came along and quickly closed them.

Norbit was called “ugly” and “vile”.  It was universally despised by critics.  And it embodied every criticism people had made about Murphy since The Nutty Professor.  It was lazy and crude.  Murphy hid behind make-up and a fat suit.  The “humor” relied on offensive stereotypes.

The timing couldn’t have been worse.  If Academy voters were thinking of rewarding Murphy for Dreamgirls, Norbit came along just in time to change their minds.  Whether or not Norbit actually cost Murphy an Oscar can never be known.  But there’s no doubt it didn’t help matters.

Instead, Murphy won three Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Supporting Actress for the parts he played in Norbit.

In spite of the toxic reviews, Norbit was a hit.  But it was a hit that would hurt Murphy’s career more than it helped him.

There were rumors that Murphy stormed out of the Oscars following his loss to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine.  Murphy claims he was okay with it:

Afterward, people were like, “He’s upset,” and I’m like, “I wasn’t upset!” What happened was after I lost, I’m just chilling, and I was sitting next to Beyoncé’s Pops, and he leans over and grabs me and is like, [solemn voice] “There will be other times.” And then you feel Spielberg on your shoulder going, “It’s all right, man.” Then Clint Eastwood walks by: “Hey, guy…” So I was like, “It’s not going to be this night!” [Mimes getting up] I didn’t have sour grapes at all. That’s another reason I wanted to host the show – to show them that I’m down with it.

Shrek the Third - 2007
Shrek the Third – 2007

In 2007, Murphy cashed another big Shrek paycheck for Shrek the Third.

Shrek 3 made money.  But it was a disappointment when compared to the previous films.  The franchise was running out of gas.

Eddie Murphy - Meet Dave - 2008
Eddie Murphy – Meet Dave – 2008

In 2008, Murphy returned to family films with Meet Dave.

Meet Dave has something to do with aliens.  And, if I understand this correctly, Murphy plays a space ship filled with tiny little aliens whom he also plays.  I could be way off base.  Frankly, this is one of those cases where I’m just not going to make the effort to figure out what Meet Dave was all about.

The point is, it was an embarssing flop.  It was Pluto Nash territory.  Meet Dave became a national punchline in much the same way.  Following the critical drubbing of Norbit, the last thing Murphy needed was a flop at the box office.  Especially one the critics also hated.  He was also nominated for the Golden Raspberries again.

Eddie Murphy - Imagine That - 2009
Eddie Murphy – Imagine That – 2009

In 2009, Murphy made another very bland family comedy.  In Imagine That, he plays a stockbroker who figures out that if he pays attention to his daughter’s imagniary world, he can reap financial benefits.

Imagine That is one of those cookie cutter comedies about how workaholics need to stop and spend time with their kids.  Even Murphy singled the movie out for criticism among his family comedies:

Would the 27-year-old have wondered what I was doing in Dr. Dolittle? No. Or in those Shrek movies? No. But, you know, both the 27-year-old and the 48-year-old was like, “Why am I in Imagine That?” The movie didn’t have a chance at the box office – it’s just me and this little girl and a blanket.

Critics and audiences were bored.  While it fared better than Meet Dave, Imagine That was another flop for Murphy.  Murphy received his umpteenth Golden Raspberry nomination.

Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers - Shrek Forever After - 2010
Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers – Shrek Forever After – 2010

In 2010, Murphy appeared in what was billed as the final Shrek film, Shrek Forever After.

The Shrek series has been something of a sanctuary for Murphy and co-star Mike Meyers.  Both are gifted comic talents with prickly reputations.  And both Murphy and Meyers seem to have retreated into the regular paychecks of voice-over work for the Shrek series.

Tower Heist
Eddie Murphy – Tower Heist – 2011

In 2011, Murphy teamed with director Brett Ratner and co-star Ben Stiller for the caper movie, Tower Heist.  Stiller played the leader of a group of hotel employees who lose their pension to Alan Alda in a Ponzi scheme.  They launch a scheme to steal back some of their money with the help of a con played by Murphy and a bankrupt businessman played by Matthew Broderick.

Tower Heist came from an idea Murphy pitched to producer Brian Grazer and Ratner centered around an all-star cast of black comedians including Chris Tucker, Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle, Tracy Morgan, and Martin Lawrence.  They would have played disgruntled employees who plan to rob Donald Trump and Trump Tower.

The rewrites moved the focus away from the ensemble and on to two main characters.  Murphy left the project, but Ratner stayed on board.  It reminded him of Ocean’s Eleven, a project he had developed but was unavailable to direct himself.  Murphy came back on board at Ratner’s insistence once Stiller signed on.

Tower Heist had great “tracking numbers” and everyone expected it to be a hit.  People were buzzing about a comeback for Murphy.  Murphy’s buddy, Ratner, was hired to produce the Academy Awards and he hired Murphy for hosting duties.  The stars seemed to be aligning…

Murphy - Ratner
Eddie Murphy and Brett Ratner – 2011

But then, nothing.  In spite of mostly positive reviews, Tower Heist did so-so box office.  To make matters worse, Ratner made some insensitive comments that angered a lot of people.  Because, well, Brett Ratner is a no-talent putz.

Ratner resigned from the Oscars in shame leading Murphy himself to bail out.  The comeback was cancelled before it even started.

murphy - 1000 words
Eddie Murphy – A Thousand Words – 2012

In 2012, Murphy reteamed with the director of Norbit and Meet Dave for  A Thousand Words.

A Thousand Words has a high concept comedy premise in which Murphy will die after uttering 1,000 words.  So he has to learn to communicate non-verbally.

Expectations were not high for A Thousand Words.  Like Pluto Nash, A Thousand Words had been sitting on a shelf for years before being released.  Predictably, the movie was trashed by critics and bombed at the box office.  Of course the Golden Raspberries nominated him again.

beverly hills cop tv show
Eddie Murphy – Beverly Hills Cop TV Show Set Picture – 2013

In recent years, there have been rumors about Murphy making another comeback.  After several attempts to revive the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, Murphy put together a BHC TV show.  The show was set to focus on Axel Foley’s son.  A pilot was shot but rejected by CBS.  Reportedly, the studio thought Murphy was so good that the audience would miss him when he wasn’t on camera.   When the TV show didn’t get picked up, Paramount expressed interest in a fourth movie.

Eddie Murphy - SNL 40th Anniversary Special - 2015
Eddie Murphy – SNL 40th Anniversary Special – 2015

In 2015, after a 31-year-absence, Eddie Murphy returned to the Saturday Night Live stage for the show’s 40th anniversary special.  Murphy was introduced by Chris Rock.  Rock lauded Murphy for saving the show in the 80’s and talked about how funny Murphy was.  Then Murphy came on stage and didn’t do or say much at all.

According to Norm MacDonald, Murphy almost participated in the show’s Celebrity Jeopardy sketch.  Murphy would have done a Bill Cosby impression.  But Murphy backed out and was replaced by Kenan Thompson in the sketch.  MacDonald claims Murphy was uncomfortable taking shots at Cosby while he was down:

He knew the laughs would bring the house down.  Eddie Murphy knows what will work on SNL better than anyone. Eddie decides the laughs are not worth it. He will not kick a man when he is down. Eddie Murphy, I realize, is not like the rest of us. Eddie does not need the laughs. Eddie Murphy is the coolest, a rockstar even in a room with actual rockstars.

Even if Murphy’s return may have felt a bit anticlimactic, it was still a historical moment for the actor and the show.

So, what the hell happened?

I think there were a number of contributing factors.  For one, Murphy shot to stardom overnight.  That kind of fame rarely lasts very long.

By all accounts, Murphy is an extremely talented and intelligent guy.  Reportedly, he has a Quentin Tarantino-like knowledge of film.  I think after his easy success, he expected to be able to tackle every genre of film.  He has said in the past that he expected The Golden Child to be his Indiana Jones.  But obviously, it wasn’t.

Partially, this is Murphy’s fault.  He picks lousy scripts.  He collaborates with friends rather than strong film-makers.  I frequently say that the secret of Tom Cruise’s success is that he works with all of the best directors.  Murphy is the opposite.  He keeps making films with hacks.  Who else would make three films with Brian Robbins?

But also, I think audiences just weren’t willing to accept Murphy in those kinds of roles.  They embraced him in those early comedies and they wanted him to stay that guy.  Some of his fan base came along for the romantic comedies, but not enough.

When audiences rejected Murphy’s attempts at growth, he got bored.  It shows in his performances.  You can tell when Murphy is phoning it in.  He does it a lot.  And yet, audiences rarely seem to mind.  They reward him for sleep-walking through these bland family films.  So you can’t really blame Murphy for continuing to make them.

Also, I think race did play a factor.  In Do The Right Thing, a racist character admits that Eddie Murphy is his favorite actor.  In his words, Murphy and Prince were “black, but not really.  They’re more than black. It’s different.”  I think this was the attitude of a lot of audiences when Murphy was at the peak of his career.

But in the early 90’s, Murphy started making movies with predominantly black casts.  And I think there was a perception that movies like Harlem Nights and Boomerang were “black movies”.  They were still successful.  But they didn’t enjoy the mainstream success of movies like Beverly Hills Cop.

For the most part, I think Murphy just got bored with the parts that made him a star.  The whole thing just became tedious to him.  Murphy explained how over time, he changed his signature laugh:

I don’t laugh like that anymore, somehow it doesn’t come out. It’s weird to change something that’s as natural as that. But it started out as a real laugh, then it turned into people laughing because they thought my laugh was funny, and then there were a couple of times where I laughed because I knew it would make people laugh. Then it got weird. People came up to me and said, “Do that laugh,” or if you laugh, someone turns around and goes, “Eddie?” I just stopped doing it.

That kind of says it all, doesn’t it? The laugh was Murphy’s signature. It helped make him a massive movie star. But that’s not who he is any more.

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ThePageBoy
12 years ago

Great work!
Love the writing style…Poor Murphey, whoever is advising him is clearly insane…

daffystardust
12 years ago

I wish Murphy had won the Oscar for Dreamgirls. He was the one part of the movie that I found really interesting. As awful as “Norbit” looked (of Course I didn’t see it, are you crazy?), that was not the performance the members of the Academy were supposed to be voting on. Lots of Oscar winners have done terrible movies. That doesn’t change the quality of their winning performances.
As much as I love Alan Arkin, his performance in “Little Miss Sunshine” was not one of his best.

Andymovieman
Andymovieman
12 years ago

if it wasn’t for eddie murphy we might not have had all the good buddycop movies of the 80s and 90s. i loved 48 hrs and another 48 hrs and beverly hills cop 1 and 2. have to agree the third beverly hills cop sucked.

Dolores
12 years ago

I think a lot of your comments are unfair. I would have liked to have read more about how race plays a role in Hollywood. Race surely plays a part, can you name 5 A-List black actors or actresses that get a steady stream of great roles (how bout just name 5 A-List black actors and actresses that aren’t singers)? Usually the great LEADING roles come after a white A-Lister turns the role down (i.e., Beverly Hills Cop). There aren’t any A list black actors or actresses that have been consistently provided with strong LEADING roles. Nevertheless, white A-listers do… Read more »

tbob1
12 years ago
Reply to  Dolores

I can’t and won’t say race plays no role in Hollywood. It must just as it does everywhere else. From my outsiders point of view however I think the bottom line, trumps-all-else card in HW is money. As in who is hot, and who is putting butts in seats at the theaters. Denzel is royalty and everything he touches makes money. Same can be said for Will Smith even though he doesn’t seem to be working much these days. Murphy too during his heyday. If it puts dollars in accounts I don’t think studio executives care what race an actor… Read more »

Geo
Geo
12 years ago
Reply to  Dolores

Certainly you make a good point Dolores, but I think that Eddie Murphy’s situation doesn’t necessarily prove that point. At the time of his initial rise to fame, he played way into “being black” and it worked very well for him (yes, that’s a form of racism too, but to his advantage). He’s also extremely talented, but he started out as a comedian, hence the multitude of comedic roles. Tom Cruise has never been, and will never be, funny. Tom Cruise copied Eddie Murphy’s physical fat-suit comedy bit to far less success. Both of these men also gravitate towards career… Read more »

Geo
Geo
12 years ago
Reply to  Geo

Definitely. By “classic” I guess I mean pre-90’s for the most part.

JediJones
JediJones
11 years ago
Reply to  Geo

Tom Cruise wore a fat suit?

JediJones
JediJones
11 years ago
Reply to  Geo

Oh, sorry, Google is my friend. I didn’t see Tropic Thunder.

Andymovieman
Andymovieman
12 years ago

tom cruise has had good and bad films from time to time. but if he is doing top gun 2 i will go see it. eddie murphy needs to get out of those crappy family films and do what he does best another sequel to 48 hrs and beverly hills cop

Andymovieman
Andymovieman
12 years ago

on tv not movies. which sucks.

tbob1
12 years ago

Uh-oh. Looks like another flop on its way. I didn’t even know about this one until reading the article during a browsing session. Poor Eddie just can’t seem to catch a break.
http://www.movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=709960

daffystardust
Editor
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Pretty much everybody in Tower Heist except Casey Affleck was looking noticably old.
By the way, why isn’t Casey Affleck a star yet?

Andymovieman
Andymovieman
12 years ago

eddie is ruining his career.

andymovieman
andymovieman
11 years ago

i hope he makes the sequel to twins with schwarzenegger and devito as the third brother.

JediJones
JediJones
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Let’s just hope it’s not directed by Brian Robbins.

Jake
Jake
11 years ago

How about a “What the hell happened to Mike Myers?” article, since he also got his start on SNL.
“The Love Guru” proved for all time that Myers never met a fart joke he didn’t like and that annoying sense of humor seems to be finally bitting him in the a$s in recent years.

John
John
10 years ago
Reply to  Jake

Reading this article I reminded Mike Myers. SNL, Sherk, fart jokes, The Love Guru, Holy Man. They are like soul mates.

Jessi
Jessi
11 years ago

Didn’t “Norbit” get an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design or some other category? I guess The Academy didn’t dislike Eddie that much for making it, ha.

Tom
Tom
11 years ago

I’m a fan of your posts! Could you do ‘what the hell happened to Martin Lawrence?’

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

What Happened? Celebrities Who Should Have Had Bigger Careers: http://madamenoire.com/285747/what-happened-celebrities-who-should-have-had-bigger-careers/8/ He killed it in the 90s. From Martin to Bad Boys and everything in between, Martin Lawrence found fame and fortune in comedy, but we have to admit that when the Big Momma’s House years rolled in, Lawrence definitely was knocked down the Hollywood totem pole. Instead of sleek, interesting humor, Lawrence found himself doing characters that just didn’t have the same spirit as the roles he had previously created on television and in his other films. Can he get back on top? Drop Big Momma and then maybe you’ll… Read more »

--Bruno-WIC-GSU--
11 years ago

Hello! What about you start making that about Directors? I don’t know any director.. But you shall know .. ?!
Lebeau ~le Blog~ added to my favorites !!

RB
RB
11 years ago

Some times it’s hard to analyze besides saying that, a lot of times, you are either a fan, or you are not. Although I’ve skipped many of his forays in the big screen, I remain a big fan of Eddie Murphy since his earliest SNL appearances and I unashamedly love all 3 of the COP movies, (in the DVD watch forever collection) as well as many of his other movies, such as Daddy Day Care and Tower Heist. I agree totally with your statement that he has an interesting career. How can he not? Murphy’s talent is the type that… Read more »

RB
RB
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

I went back and watched “Tower Heist” for a second… oh ok… THIRD time after re-reading the comments. There’s no denying, as you said, when he is bored and/or phoning it in, it comes across very clearly onscreen. In TH, he was most definitely not bored. I am quite impressed with the work of this cast and enjoyed very much Eddie Murphy bringing his unique persona into an ensemble. The lines he speaks are funny because it’s him saying them. I could be very wrong, and yes everyone is getting older, but I feel this movie could be a career… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Bill Simmons wrote an article for his Grantland website about Eddie Murphy’s career arc:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7189740/eddie-murphy
Here’s interesting details about Eddie’s relationship w/ Richard Pryor on the set of “Harlem Nights”:
http://brightlightsfilm.com/56/richardpryor.php
About “Beverly Hills Cop III”, I’m kind of surprised that you left out the fact that Eddie Murphy disowned it while on “Inside the Actors’ Studio”. “BHCIII” was a very troubled production on its own (just look in the IMDb trivia page for “BHCIII”) or Mathew “Film Brain” Buck’s “Bad Movie Beatdown” of “BHCIII”:
http://blip.tv/film-brain/bad-movie-beatdown-beverly-hills-cop-iii-2428126

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Here’s Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert’s review of Eddie Murphy’s “Harlem Nights”: http://siskelandebert.org/video/K2DU7O3XX1UB/Harlem-Nights-The-Little-Mermaid-Steel-Magnolias-1989 At the end, Ebert says that even though Eddie Murphy is the number one box office star in America circa 1989, sooner or later, his reputation isn’t going to be enough to carry “turkeys” like “Harlem Nights” (which Siskel speculated that Murphy did mostly out of ego). Ebert added that while Murphy is a genuinely talented actor, unless he’s willing to take a few chances, he runs the risk of sabotaging his career before getting a chance to do the really “good stuff” that he’s capable of.… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

http://brightlightsfilm.com/56/richardpryor.php Harlem Nights was one of the major disappointments of its day, not least because of the absence of any spark of chemistry between Murphy and Pryor. But for Murphy, whose artistic folly this was, it had been a chance to finally work with the man he’d idolized from an early age. Indeed, until now, Murphy had continued to do well for himself by craftily adapting Pryor’s raw, uncompromising style into a shtick that pleased the teens and the movie executives. But Murphy’s expletives and hip sensibility were tempered by a calculated calmness; if he occasionally appeared as wild and… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

10 Famous Actors Who Tried To Direct Movies (And Failed): http://whatculture.com/film/10-famous-actors-tried-direct-movies-failed.php/2 Harlem Nights – Eddie Murphy Though Eddie Murphy and the awful movies he has made over the last fifteen years have long been the subject of ridicule, when Murphy wrote, directed, and starred in Harlem Nights in 1989 he was still considered one of the funniest comedians in America. This period-piece crime comedy-drama starring Murphy and fellow stand-up legend Richard Pryor might seem like a match made in heaven, but despite the presence of two of the greatest stand-ups of all time audiences and critics thought the film to… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The THIRD and FINAL part of our ‪#‎RichardPryor‬ discussion is now online! We mull over the decline of his later years and mourn the legacy of one of the greatest comedians that ever lived. ‪#‎cinefilestv‬
http://thisisinfamous.com/cinefiles-films-richard-pryor-part-3/

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Bronson Pinchot has a very sad story about “Beverly Hills Cop III”: “That was a lifetime later. “Beverly Hills Cop” opened up a whole world. I got the television show and movies, and I would go sign autographs for one hour and get paid $25,000. I had bodyguards and police barricades, and I had that whole life from 1985 to about 1992, ’93. Eddie was going through his period at the time of doing movies that were not hits, and he was very low-spirited, low-energy. I said to him, “All anyone ever wants to know when they meet me is… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

11 Movies That Killed A Franchise: http://whatculture.com/film/11-movies-that-killed-a-franchise.php/7 5. Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) Beverly Hills Cop was a cinematic breakout for star Eddie Murphy, with the first film earning $316m against a $15 budget (and an 83% Tomatometer), while the sequel also did well, making $299 against a $20m budget (albeit with a much lower 46% Tomatometer). It was the third film that was released seven years later, then, that damaged the franchise seemingly beyond repair, as several attempts to wade through the mess left in its wake have proven fruitless, and to be honest, it sounds like nobody can… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Speaking of “The Golden Child”, Charles Dance, who played the main villain in the movie, Sardo Numpsa tells an interesting story of the production (besides it being originally intended as a Mel Gibson vehicle): http://aboutactorcharlesdance.blogspot.com/2012/02/charles-was-sardo-numpsa-in-golden.html “Initially, The Golden Child was a very interesting script with a lot of weird resonances,” Dance recalls, “but Paramount basically chickened out. When they first screened it, it was a very different sort of film for Eddie Murphy. Paramount took too much notice of the preview audience’s unease about the unfamiliarity of Eddie’s character. They had gotten to know him so well through Beverly Hills… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

“The Golden Child” strikes me as one of those movies that really didn’t have a script (they just put all of their energies in the concept and special effects) once Eddie Murphy came on board, so they just told him to ad-lib as much as possible. It just that only Eddie’s character appeared to be in on the joke. Therefore, if the main character isn’t going to take things seriously, despite a very scary villain played by Charles Dance being in the way, why should we as an audience take things seriously (it was a very uneven movie)? I think… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

What Annoys Me About The End Of ‘The Golden Child’ (1986): http://rooksmoor.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-annoys-me-about-end-of-golden.html The movie is an awkward mix of fantasy and Murphy’s gritty humour, toned down for a ‘family’ movie. Despite coming between the very successful ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ (1984) and ‘Beverly Hills Cop 2’ (1987), ‘The Golden Child’ really began to establish Murphy’s career in making rather lame movies that did not know which genre they fitted in and tried to shoehorn Murphy’s loud mouthed humour into them. After 1989/90, Murphy has been best simply voicing the donkey in the Shrek movies, (2001, 2004, 2007), though I quite enjoyed… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

http://eightiesmovies.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/the-golden-child/
Why did Murphy choose this project? His humor works best in the gritty, realistic world of 48 HRS. and Beverly Hills Cop, and while a side trip to Nepal offers a few opportunities for culture-shock gags, it is not his natural element.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The Golden Child (1986): http://officialfan.proboards.com/thread/525332/golden-child-1986 Post by Jackie Chan: The Chan of Steel on Jun 14, 2015 at 6:49pm probably the one thing people remember about this Eddie Murphy fantasy action/comedy vehicle was that it came out the same year as a more infamous Eastern mysticism centered film: Big Trouble in Little China. So, Golden Child isn’t bad, but it’s disappointing. It starts out very promising, but then it starts to coast. Eddie Murphy’s charismatic as usual, but the script and his co-stars don’t help much. It’s like he’s expected to carry the movie by himself like Beverly Hills Cop,… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Parodying the Oriental Monk in “The Golden Child”: http://dianying.tumblr.com/post/4641004933/parodying-the-oriental-monk-in-the-golden-child#_=_ Scholar Sau-Ling Wong argues that Hollywood portrays “people of color” collectively as “ideological caregivers” by salving white spiritual insecurities in the technological age of and predominant self-serving ideology.# Only an American non-White spiritual seeker would save Buddhism in an Oriental-Monk plot. To argue for The Golden Child’s “modernized cultural patriarchy” further, an African American serves as an ideal protagonist. On one hand, he can signify Western culture. On the other hand, he could also be marginalized enough to radically break from the culture and embrace an Eastern religion.# Casting an African… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The forgotten blockbuster The Golden Child marks the beginning of Eddie Murphy’s “not trying” phase: http://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/31-the-forgotten-blockbuster-the-golden-child-marks-t/ On February 15, 1987, The New York Times published an article by film critic Janet Maslin titled “Comedies Without Laughs Merit Cries Of Protest,” which focuses on the dispiriting phenomenon of the 1986 Eddie Murphy vehicle The Golden Child selling somewhere in the area of 12 million tickets, despite the film’s appalling paucity of laughs. Of The Golden Child’s audience, Maslin writes, “It may be that not one of them has laughed while watching it, not even once” before modifying her assertion just slightly… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

British Actress Charlotte Lewis Was An Underage Call Girl
https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/british-actress-charlotte-lewis-was-an-underage-call-girl.1363574/#post-34114430
Wow. That was intense. She was so young. What a sad story. Eddie really impressed me. He helped that girl, gave her a ton of cash and took nothing in return. He was just being a nice guy. All the other men, just used and abused her. They probably would have taken advantage of her desperation. Smh at Polanski calling a tiny teenage girl fat. That man is sick. He never learnt his lesson or changed. I bet he is still dating teen and underaged girls in Poland.

RB
RB
11 years ago

This seems to be kind of a theme, where the actors or actresses try to “Break out” of whatever role they are defined by – comedian, sex symbol, action, whatever.. but don’t get the backing. It’s a double edge sword. It’s magic when it works, and then gets to be limiting as the years go by. For what little this may be worth..if they can’t reinvent themselves and sell that to Hollywood, at least the original work stands. In Eddie Murphy’s case, the “Murphyisms” can resonate with new audiences in the exact same way they did when they originally shown.… Read more »

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