Eddie Murphy: Oscar Hopeful? (Really?)
Filed under: Comedy, Music & Musicals, Awards, Oscar Watch
I really like Eddie Murphy. Always have, since the very first time I saw him do a Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood sketch on Saturday Night Live. Even as a kid, I knew Murphy had the timing, the wit, the smarts, the silliness and the attitude to be a big-time comedian. And boy was I right. From his debut in Walter Hill's 48 Hrs. ($78.8 million in domestic box office) to his monumentally brilliant Delirious concert and his ... really wretched album ("My girl wants to party all the time / party all the time / party all the tiiiiiime!"), I was a fan through thick and thin.Along with all the other Murphy supporters I walked a long and winding road through films great and wretched, from the hilarious Trading Places ($90.4m) to the unwatchable Best Defense ($19.2m) to the big one: Beverly Hills Cop ($234.7m!). And just like that, superstar comedy icon Eddie Murphy was truly born. The guy's movie career reads like a road map: He finished the '80s with The Golden Child ($79.8m), Beverly Hills Cop 2 ($153.6m), the concert flick Raw ($50.5m), Coming to America ($128.1m) and Harlem Nights ($60.8m), and ran through the '90s without taking a breath: Another 48 Hrs. ($80.8m), Boomerang ($70m), The Distinguished Gentleman ($46.6m), Beverly Hills Cop 3 ($42.6m), Vampire in Brooklyn ($19.7m), The Nutty Professor ($128.8m), Metro ($32m), Mulan ($120.6m), Dr. Dolittle ($144.1m) Holy Man ($12m), Life ($63.8m) and Bowfinger ($66.3m).
Interesting list so far. We see that the 48 Hrs. sequel outgrossed the Beverly Hills Cop sequel by a healthy margin, which seems a little weird when you think about it. We also see that Eddie doing family comedy and/or animated fare seems to work pretty well, whereas his attempts to play towards the parents turned out to be a much more inconsistent approach. But I give the guy credit for trying to pull off strange things in between the sure bets. I mean, Holy Man has a few good laughs in it! Bowfinger is really underrated!
But then we hit 2000 ...
The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps ($123.3m), Shrek ($267.6m), Dr. Dolittle 2 ($112.9m), Showtime ($38m), The Adventures of Pluto Nash ($4.4m), I Spy ($33.5m), Daddy Day Care ($104.2m), The Haunted Mansion ($75.8m) and Shrek 2 ($441.2m). And the guy hasn't been seen in a flick since May of 2004. So obviously this is a star who's seen some record-smashing successes and some bone-crunching disappointments throughout his career -- and I won't even get into his personal life. And while I actively HATE a solid handful of the movies mentioned above ... I'd still line up to see "an Eddie Murphy movie," and do it quite happily.
Nowadays Murphy is back, big-time, and it seems like everyone and their Aunt Bunny is falling over themselves to call Eddie an Oscar nom shoo-in for his (dramatic! singing!) work in Bill Condon's Dreamgirls. And good for Eddie Murphy, says me, and I say it for the same reason I cheered when Robin Williams finally earned some accolades; when people started realizing that Steve Martin was a lot more than an amiable buffoon; and when Bill Murray started being treated like an actual actor. Because comedy is freakin' HARD, people, and that's why you see so many bad comedies every year. It's not easy to make a room full of strangers "LOL," and I believe it takes not only a good comedian but a good actor to do what these guys do.
So while I haven't seen Dreamgirls yet, I feel pretty psyched for Eddie Murphy these days. The guy's given me so many laughs over the years I have little choice but to root for him, awards-wise, Plus it looks like the guy's "back" in big form: In addition to Dreamgirls, he's also got the odd-looking Norbit on the way, a third trip to the Shrek well, a long-discussed project with Chris Rock AND a fourth chapter of Beverly Hills Cop. Not saying they'll all be great flicks, but it's always nice to see an old pal again. Plus, by that point, the movie trailers might be touting the guy as "Academy Award Nominee Eddie Murphy" -- and I think that'd be pretty cool. If not, oh well. The guy still makes me laugh.
(For more Eddie Murphy Cinematicalove, check out Jessie Barnes' thoughts right here.)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-17-2006 @ 9:39PM
mayorjimmy said...
while i salute your loyalty, i can't share it. his last good movie was Coming to America. since then he's had a couple good things but his best work is long-the-hell-gone. funny you mention robin williams, steve martin, and bill murray because they all have pretty much the same problem. maybe not so much bill. the problem is, he hasn't changed his style since the 80s. robin williams is the worst. i mean seriously, the fast-talking bad-impressions doped up on PCP or something routine stopped being funny a LONG time ago robin.
i know the Oscars have a habit of awarding someone an award that isn't necessarily a reward for the film they win it for but more of a "sorry we passed you up all those times earlier" kind of deal (see: denzel washington) and i'd hate to think eddie would garner one this year for this reason simply because it would validate all the crap he's done since he was at his best in the 80s.
IMHO
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12-17-2006 @ 10:51PM
Jaymez said...
While the box office numbers don't show it, Eddie Murphy movies have been a huge disapointment for a long time, at least for me. I'm convinced Shrek was a fluke, because between that and BH Cop I, everything he's done has been a snooze fest.
Eddie Murphy has entered a personal list of actors who I automaticly write off. Oscar buzz and other awards mean nothing to me. Most award winners aren't worth the celluloid they're printed on, IMO.
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12-18-2006 @ 3:39PM
David Cornelius said...
With all this Oscar talk for Murphy, I keep thinking about his speech at the Oscars long ago where he complained (right before handing out Best Picture!) that the Academy doesn't recognize black people. Which was bold and true at the time. If he wins, I hope he says something about it.
And Bowfinger still rocks.
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12-19-2006 @ 1:46PM
vincent price said...
I think Mr. Weinberg speaks for millions of us with his favorable sentiments regarding Eddie Murphy. I wish Eddie Murphy much continued success. It's still a sorry and disappointing feeling I get when most often, people with malevolent intent feel motivated to type out a negative comment about somebody or something that does not deserve it. Evil is now definitely astir.
Nevertheless, I am pleased to read Mr. Weinberg's comments about the highly esteemed Eddie Murphy.
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12-19-2006 @ 5:56PM
Kurt Ruby said...
I think that eddie murphy is an amazing actor ok some of the films have been a bit of a no no (the nutty proffesor)but think wat the guys done and what hes going to do beverley hills cop 4 should be brillient if they learn from there mistakes in beverley hills cop 3. And the mistakes were due to the fact that they dident use the original directors that they used on the first two. If this is corrected and if edddie murphy pulls it out of the bag (more then likely) then we ars in for a hell of a comedy!
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