Eddie Murphy - American Treasure

You thought this title was a joke, right? I am completely serious. Sure, he has languished in two archetypes: the loveable rogue with a potty mouth (48 hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Shrek, Trading Places) or the comic buffoon (The Nutty Professor, Dr. Dolittle, Norbit). I submit, however, that Murphy also has a fine body of work that actually supports his artistry and talent. Need proof? Consider the following films: Boomerang, Bowfinger, Life and Dreamgirls.

Boomerang (1992) – This is one of my top five films of all time. Probably one of yours, too, because it is AWESOME! It has Murphy all over it, which it should, because he helped create the story. This was really the first time that we actually saw Eddie Murphy be anything other than the comic fool, the troublemaker, or the raunchy comedian. Seriously, guys, I was traumatized by Raw. That shit was TOO raw for me. Anyway, Murphy’s character, Marcus Graham, was perfectly played – not overblown, but not pathetically sympathetic, either. And, as the lead actor, and truly the star of this film, Murphy allowed his costars to really come out and shine as well. The Martin Lawrence, “Racial, man, racial,” motif is still culturally relevant, and the Marcus Graham meltdown, cultivating in the most awful commercial ever created, remains a surprising, entertaining piece of work. I could go on and on about why Boomerang is an Important Film, but maybe I’ll save that for another blog.

Bowfinger (1999) – Have you seen this movie? If you haven’t, run out and find it right now! The plot is too bizarre to even begin to describe, but it’s a Mel Brooks storyline combined with Robert Altman’s sense of self-absorption and parody. Murphy plays two roles, Kit and Jiff Ramsey - one an egotistical, pampered action star, and one a dimwit with a need to please and a great set of braces. If Murphy were a lesser actor, he would have overplayed both roles, but he is a greater actor, and again brings just enough to the characters to make them interesting, relatable, and hilarious.

Life (1999) – 1999 was a busy year for Murphy, and Life did better at the box office than Bowfinger, so maybe you’ve seen this one. And maybe, when you saw the previews for this movie, you thought it was going to be a carbon copy of the excellent 1980 film Stir Crazy, which was also about two somewhat ridiculous men who were wrongly imprisoned. But while I think everyone expected Life to stay firmly planted in the world of slapstick, similar to Stir Crazy, it didn’t. It is a movie that suddenly takes its audience from ridiculous escape plots and standard slapstick to dead serious themes of racism, the hopelessness of prison, and what it actually means to be a societal have-not. The movie would fail with lesser actors than Lawrence and Murphy, who are both excellent. Also: Bernie Mac!

Dreamgirls (2006) – While I thought this movie was approximately 90 minutes too fucking long, Murphy’s character, Thunder Early, was interesting, complex and subtle. Murphy won a Golden Globe for this role and was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to Alan Arkin, who gave a once-in-a-lifetime performance in Little Miss Sunshine. While I admit that Arkin thoroughly deserved his Oscar, it pisses me off that Murphy has only one nomination to his name. This role showed Murphy’s ability to play a straight dramatic role with sincerity and passion.

If you haven’t seen these movies, run out RIGHT NOW and rent them (and by that, I mean go online and download them), before Murphy hosts the 2012 Academy Awards and gets overexposed. And somebody let me know if Tower Heist is any good. That scene that they keep showing on the previews with Gabourey Sidibe is freaking me out.