Eddie Murphy is a legend. That seems like a controversial
statement to make nowadays, but it is true. He is probably one of the most talented men in
Hollywood and has films on his CV which are among some of my most beloved of
all time. But something tragic happened to his career.
Speak to any soul that knows an ounce about black
(African-American) comedy and they will let you know that Murphy sits upon a
tall pedestal. Comedians speak of Eddie Murphy with the same reverence they
give to Bill Cosby or, better yet, Richard Pryor – Murphy is truly of that
stature.
But think of Murphy now and I’d bet a lot of money that the
embarrassment that is Norbit or Scary Spice comes to your mind – not Raw or Delirious
or Boomerang. That is a tragedy.
…
The reason why Eddie still deserves to be held in such high
regard is simply because of what he achieved. He blazed the trail that allowed
other great comedians to walk the path to to superstardom. I still haven’t
forgotten the skinny (er) and goofy (er) Chappelle with his terrible hair cut
telling terrible “you’re so fat” jokes in the Nutty Professor.
I personally haven’t seen any of his earlier Saturday Night
Live Stuff, I only know Eddie Murphy through his film work and it wasn’t until
Beverly Hills Cop that I really started to take notice. It may sound like an
over-exaggeration but Axel Foley felt like the first black superhero to
me. I saw him do things and talk to
(white) people in a way that I had never seen a ‘brother’ do before. And
importantly he was funny, extremely funny but as well as that, he was strong –
this felt important.
…
And then there was Coming to America – a film which is so
important to me that it would take more than just a blog to clarify. As an
African kid in a stranger’s land, I could absolutely identify with Prince
Akeem. The film left me in awe of the world it created to a point where I
stupidly asked my father whether such a kingdom where beautiful servants woke
you up in such a wonderful way existed.
Coming to America is to me a classic and displays Murphy’s
talent in the brightest of light. His many disguises add to the comedy and wonder
of the film rather than distract from it like in his later exploits. The Randy
Watson scene (damn it, the whole church scene) is a slice of joy. Clarence the
Barber still raises a smile out of me.
Murphy also puts in a much understated performance as Prince
Akeem. He plays the royal as a charismatic and dignified young man who is
childlike in his excitement at being in an environment different to his
extravagant home life. Like all great
leading men you believe in the premise of the story because of Eddie Murphy’s
performance.
…
I believe it all went wrong when Eddie made a conscious
effort to stop making ‘edgy’ films and cater to the family audience instead. As
much as I love(d) the Nutty Professor, I believe that film was the start of the
ebbing out of Murphy’s creative talent.
Unlike Coming to America, Eddie Murphy’s prosthetics didn’t
add much to The Nutty Professor – in
fact they enabled him to tell lazy fat jokes and lean on ill thought out toilet
humour.
I have absolutely no issue with the film Shrek, I actually
think Eddie Murphy is great in it but the following inferior sequels are lazy
(there’s that word again). I am not naive enough to say that Eddie was wrong to
make those films – they generated a donkey dung (sorry) full of money but I can’t
help feeling that Murphy could have done more with his time. He could have
pushed himself.
The majority of films that he has had top billing in after
the Nutty Professor have been tragic (there’s that word again) save from a few
surprises. Eddie was actually ok in Tower Heist but this could be me giving him
a petty pass.
…
I still believe that there is genius still left within Eddie
Murphy. That genius has shown flashes of returning (Dreamgirls) but I am hoping
that it makes a permanent reappearance in his future projects. Is the Beverly
Hills Cop television show the right platform for his fight back? I don’t know,
I have my doubts. I also shuddered when I read that Murphy was writing the
Nutty Professor 3.
All I can hope for is for Eddie Murphy to be bold again – to
be brave. Forget the family films, forget the fat suits – find that Eddie who
wanted to push black comedy further than it has ever been before. There is a
reason why Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Jamie Fox and Kevin Hart consider Eddie
Murphy to be god like and hopefully the miraculous performances are not in his
past.
