Eddie Murphy Appreciation Month

48 Hrs. is a typical buddy cop movie, but elevated because Eddie is fantastic in it and Nolte plays the gruff cop better than just about anyone. The racism and crassness of it was probably pretty eyebrow raising for its time.

The sequel is crap with nothing memorable about it.

Actually I really like Tony Scott's work and think he was highly underrated as a visionary director. He didn't get the plots to work with that Ridley did but his style and visual acuity were practically on par.

The original is of course very good. The second one is okay. It looks great, but leans too heavily into action and not enough into comedy. But that's probably what they wanted going with Tony Scott.

John Landis is an ass. He and his son are rightfully gone from Hollywood.

Blue Brothers 2000 questions only.

Yes, I believe it.

BEST DEFENSE (1984)




They say third times the charm and that’s proven to be true with Eddie Murphy’s third outing, Beverly Hills Cop.


phone rings

One moment. SnoBorderZero is calling.


The SnoBorderZero / Doomsday connection gets even stronger with Eddie Murphy’s third film, Best Defense. Written and directed by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, the husband & wife duo that gave us Howard the Duck, Best Defense stars Dudley Moore as a defense contractor on the verge of losing his job & wife. He has been tasked with creating a targeting system, but can’t get the darn thing to work, and everyone is losing patience. That affects his marriage as his wife (played by Kate Capshaw a.k.a. Mrs. Steven Spielberg) is also losing patience with him. Side note, 1984 was the year Temple of Doom came out, co-starring Capshaw and featuring a script by Huyck & Katz. Must be great to be in the orbit of Spielberg and George Lucas. You get to fail upwards. Anyhoo, Moore has his back to the wall when he meets a KGB engineer at a bar. The KGB engineer gifts him with a working tracking system. That fixes Moore’s immediate problems but also creates new ones.

You may now be wondering, “hey — where does Eddie Murphy fit into all this?” Well, he doesn’t. Best Defense, upon completion, tested poorly and was pulled from its original release date. It was intended to compete with the Chevy Chase/William Friedkin film, Deal of the Century, in the winter of 1983. Following the success of 48 Hrs and Trading Places, which amazingly came out like 6 months apart, Jeffrey Katzenberg personally walked into Eddie Murphy’s dressing room at Saturday Night Live and handed him a check for $1 million to appear in Best Defense. All of Murphy’s scenes take place in Kuwait (actually shot in Israel) and his character is in the tank unit that’s using the KGB tracking system.

Did Murphy rescue the film? Honestly, I don’t think it made a difference one way or another. At its core, this is a movie about Dudley Moore playing a defense contractor. Nothing was gonna change that unless they reshot the whole film. Audiences felt the same. The movie was a mega-flop and Murphy joked about it when he hosted SNL in December ‘84. That was the same episode in which Murphy went undercover as a white man in his most famous sketch that didn’t involve a recurring character or celebrity impersonation.

My verdict? It’s alright. SnoBorderZero was stunned when I “defended” Deal of the Century. Now here I am “defending” this one too. It’s not a terrible movie. Dudley Moore is very good in it, and I wouldn’t kick Kate Capshaw out of bed. If it makes SnoBorderZero feel any better, I think Spies Like Us, the John Landis classic, is better than both.


THE GOLDEN CHILD (1986)




Now that both strikes are over, SnoBorderZero and Doomsday can finally begin work on Golden Child II. Don’t forget that PhantomKnight and I are available.

Did you know this is Murphy’s first PG-13 movie? For all the classic movies that Murphy made in the 1980’s, and I’ve already covered almost of ‘em, who would have thought this would be the one to pave the way for the bulk of Murphy’s career.

Following the mega-success of Beverly Hills Cop, it was 1984’s #1 movie, beating Ghostbusters and Temple of Doom, it made a lot of sense to cast Murphy in a big effects-driven fantasy-adventure film in which he has to rescue a Tibetan child from the devil himself. His role was actually intended for Mel Gibson, but Gibson took a sabbatical in between Thunderdome and Lethal Weapon to nurse his alcoholism, and so Paramount gave the role to their biggest star. Murphy was gonna have a role in Star Trek IV, the one with the whales, but did Golden Child instead. I’m gonna give SnoBorderZero a moment to wrap his head about all this.

Golden Child tested very poorly. Audiences weren’t ready to accept Murphy in a Mel Gibson role. Murphy had to wait till Metro for that to happen. So Paramount tossed out the John Barry score and reshot the movie to make it a more appropriate vehicle for Murphy. The result? You can tell.

The good news is, that after Nutty Professor, Murphy became a children’s entertainer, so Golden Child doesn’t feel that weird anymore. If someone weren’t around in the 80’s and 90’s, Golden Child is what they expect an Eddie Murphy movie to be, while 48 Hrs will feel like the jarring one. So SnoBorderZero and Doomsday, give the children what they want, Golden Child II.

How dare you.

And they hired you at Eddie Murphy Productions? Who did you sleep with?

SnoBorderZero, when you see Eddie Murphy next week for Thanksgiving dinner, let him know that there’s people out there that love Harlem Nights.





HARLEM NIGHTS (1989)




Eddie Murphy became a standup sensation (the heir to Richard Pryor) while as a teenager in Long Island. He became a star (and savior) of Saturday Night Live straight out of high school. In his 20’s, he was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. 48 Hrs. Beverly Hills Cop. Coming to America. But as Doomsday can tell you, after co-creating the Baby Yoda show, success breeds jealousy and people will come for your head. Harlem Nights didn’t stand a chance.

Eddie is a writer-producer-director-star? Who this motherfucker think he is — Woody Allen??

Listen, Woody Allen never made a movie as good as Harlem Nights. This is Eddie’s magnum opus and people shit on it.

1989 was a monumental year for black cinema. Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing came out and tore down the door. At least that’s what Spike and PG Cooper will have you believe. Harlem Nights is a big budget studio release, from a black writer-director with a black crew and starring legends of black entertainment. If Bill Cosby didn’t have a stick up his ass, he could have been in this movie instead of starring in Leonard Part 6 and Ghost Dad. That pudding eating rapist motherfucker. The supporting cast is all actors and actresses that would go on to dominate black entertainment in the 1990’s. We even get a small role from Charlie Murphy! Harlem Nights is just as important as Do The Right Thing. Danny Aiello is in both movies, so you know I’m right.

Eddie Murphy stars as Quick. He’s quick to knock your ass out. Quick and his father Sugar Ray (played by Richard Pryor) run a speakeasy in 1920’s Harlem. When a Jewish gangster Bugsy Calhoune (Michael Lerner) tries to steal their business, they come up with a scheme to rob him and get out of town.

This is a lesser role for Murphy. He’s billed as the star, but it’s really Richard Pryor’s movie. He’s brilliant in the role of Sugar Ray. Guy was already battling MS, and yet, he’s still believable in the role. Plus he gives the role warmth and wisdom. Everything Spike Lee was trying to say in Do The Right Thing, Richard Pryor said in this movie. In 1989 they gave Daniel Day Lewis an Oscar for pretending to be crippled, and yet, here you have an actual handicapped person giving the performance of his career and he isn’t even nominated. #OscarsSoWhite

SnoBorderZero, this Thanksgiving, give thanks to Richard Pryor and Harlem Nights. And instead of football, watch Brewster’s Millions. That movie is great. The Pryor one. Not the old-timey one. The old-timey one can kiss my ass, sugah!

I do owe you a Superman III retrospective.

The 1980’s saw Eddie Murphy in his prime. Standup legend. SNL sensation. Movie star. Shit, he even gave us Party All the Time. Eddie built so much goodwill in the 80’s, it has given SnoBorderZero steady employment throughout the 2020’s.

But now we get to the 90’s. A decade that saw Eddie get busted with a transgender prostitute.

Let’s dive in.


BOOMERANG (1992)




If SnoBorderZero were a student of Eddie Murphy, he’d know this is the type of movie that Eddie Murphy should be making. No one wants to say it out loud, but Eddie is the bridge between Sidney Poitier and Will Smith. He is someone that white America embraced and was allowed to do mainstream Hollywood films. He hasn’t really made too many “black films” and we can sorta see why. At the height of his fame and power, he took a big swing with Harlem Nights and then took another big swing with Boomerang.

There will be no surprise if SnoBorderZero hates Harlem Nights, but I’d love to read his argument against Boomerang. It’s a mainstream romantic-comedy starring an all-black cast. You’re telling me that black folks can’t be in genres monopolized by Caucasian’s? What’s a movie SnoBorderZero loved this year? Anatomy of a Fall? You’re telling me you can’t make Anatomy of a Fall with Eddie Murphy? Hyperbole? Sure. But you get my point.

Directed by Reginald Hudlin (House Party, Candy Cane Lane), Boomerang is about a hotshot New York marketing executive that is also a major playboy. That all changes when he falls in love with his new boss (played by Robin Givens) and gets treated the same way he has been treating all his romantic conquests. He learns his lesson and is rewarded with Halle Berry. It’s a romantic-comedy, guys.

This is Eddie’s first adult role. Before this, he always played the mischievous young man. Here, he’s a grownup and a romantic lead. He’s paired with Martin Lawrence and David Alan Grier. Chris Rock, Eartha Kitt and Tisha Campbell have small but memorable roles. Halle Berry isn’t the only James Bond alumni. Grace Jones and Geoffrey Holder are here too. Whole cast is great.

The movie itself is a fairly typical romantic-comedy but its conventionality is what makes it so great. They didn’t need to adjust the formula for a black cast. This is a very mainstream Hollywood romantic-comedy that just so happens to feature an all-black cast. And they’re all great. How Boomerang didn’t spun off into more of these type of movie, tells you all you need to know. But on a positive note, Boomerang did give us one of Dracula’s favorite songs.





THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN (1992)



From Jonathan Lynn (director of My Cousin Vinny) and using a script penned by a Washington insider, The Distinguished Gentleman sees Eddie Murphy continue to evolve his brand. He plays a Florida con artist that gets elected to the U.S. congress due in part to sharing the same name as a deceased politician. His plan is to make as much money as possible (through lobbyists) but changes his tune when he learns how dirty Washington politics truly are.

Eddie momentarily left his longtime studio Paramount to go work with Disney on this picture. Remember when Disney used to make real movies and not cartoons for man-children? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Distinguished Gentleman is no different than other light-hearted political comedies of the 1990’s. Do we call these Clinton-era movies? I like it. It’s breezy and fun. Eddie is also in top-form here, which helps a lot. Doomsday will no doubt find a reason to hate it, but he’s dead to me after refusing to watch Wonka.

THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (1996)




Is Nutty Professor Eddie Murphy's best movie?

We're at a turning point in this Eddie Murphy retrospective. Following a legendary run of successes in the 1980's, Eddie saw his star power decline in the 90's. Another 48 Hrs and Beverly Hills Cop III didn't recapture the magic of his heyday. Boomerang is a cult favorite but that means nothing in Hollywood. Distinguished Gentlemen and SnoBorderZero favorite Vampire in Brooklyn (which I covered in the Halloween thread) didn't move the needle either. By all accounts, Eddie was a has-been by the mid-90's. Then the Nutty Professor comes out.

This was the movie that sorta made me an Eddie Murphy fan. I don't think I had watched any of his 80's movies at this point. Maybe I had seen Coming to America, but I'm not entirely sure. I could have also crossed paths with Boomerang, but again, I can't say for certain. The only Eddie Murphy movies I can confidently say I had seen, and this is embarrassing to admit, are Beverly Hills Cop III and Vampire in Brooklyn. This is the timeline in Eddie Murphy's career that I show up in. I don't know if that is more or less embarrassing than SnoBorderZero coming into the picture during Daddy Day Care era Eddie Murphy. And yet, there was real hype for Nutty Professor.

It was crowdpleasing, received positive critical reviews and became one of the year's biggest hits. It revitalized Eddie's career -- but also signaled the end of his peak.

As in Coming to America, Eddie enlists the help of Rick Baker (who won an Oscar for the film) to play multiple roles. The main ones are Sherman Klump, a good-hearted but obese scientist, and his skinny alter ego Buddy Love. Tom Shadyac and Steven Oedekerk (hot off the heels of the two Ace Ventura movies) are the director and co-writer. In the movie, Sherman is working on a weight loss formula when he meets a cute college professor played by Jada Pinkett. He works up the courage to ask her out and they go on a date to nightclub where a hacky comedian (played by a Robin Hood: Men in Tights era Dave Chappelle) is performing at. This comedian, Reggie Warrington (named after Candy Cane Lane director Reginald Hudlin and his brother), roasts Sherman during his set and that's what triggers Sherman to try out the weight loss formula he's been working on. That turns him into the villainous Buddy Love.

In light of the Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscar slap, this chain of events are hilarious to watch now. The hilarity extends to the rest of the movie. Nutty Professor is genuinely Eddie's funniest movie. He's at his peak here and should have received an Oscar nomination. Oedekerk's script and Shadyac's direction are quite strong and make for a surprisingly sweet movie. There's quite a bit of toilet humor (these two were fresh off two Ace Ventura movies) and moments that flirted with the R-rating, but overall, it's a great family film. That's bizarre to say in 2023, but the story and characters are so lovable that it counterbalances the more risqué stuff. You can watch Nutty Professor with grandma. I'd also argue that it's Eddie's best movie. It's funnier than anything else he did and has a stronger script than anything else he did. This is Eddie at his best and it's mostly downhill from here, I think of SNL to Nutty Professor as golden age of Eddie Murphy. Warts and all. Which means that Metro, another SnoBorderZero favorite, signals the true decline of his career.