What's the deal with Eddie Murphy?

[tommy]

I think he's a pretty funny and decent actor for the most part (in the late 80's and early 90's), but all these "funny" stupid pointless movies he just keeps cranking out is getting really annoying.

Why not just make some kind of REAL movie and stop wasting everyones time? He definitely could make a good movie as BHC and others were, why waste your actor personality on garbage Pauly Shore should be doing?

It seems sad to me... he really doesn't need to make lame gimmicky movies but chooses to do so anyway and I'm disappointed. 

The guy once was an A list actor but dropped himself to a second rate waste of time by picking up crappy scripts.

[shardian]

Yeah he's only gonna win a supporting actor Oscar this year for Dreamgirls. I guess that don't count huh.
 Odds are he made that Norbit movie a year or two ago. This time of year, the movie studios unload their "junk films" off on the theaters and try to pass them off as good movies with overmarketing and not allowing critic screenings. If they can fool the public and get one good week in before word of mouth spreads, they'll make their money.

[boykster]

Yeah, and the Shrek franchise, what a waste...nobody watched those 

[sodapopinski]

I agree with Tommy, he has mostly made pure crap. Dream Girls being an exception and Shrek being nothing more than a voice roll. He has a huge list of box office poison

[FrizzleFried]

Lifetime Gross Total (32): $3,090,839,366
Average: $96,588,730
Opening Gross Average (31): $20,923,660 (Wide Releases Only)

Yah...sure...poison.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=eddiemurphy.htm


His last 5 movies totals:


2/9/07              Norbit                         $64,938,373
12/15/06    Dreamgirls                    $100,398,533
5/19/04     Shrek 2                           $441,226,247
11/26/03    The Haunted Mansion    $75,847,266
5/9/03              Daddy Day Care         $104,297,061

Yup...i'd take some of that poison.

...and to compare to some of his classics:

12/10/82    48 HRS.              $78,868,508
6/10/83    Trading Places         $90,404,800
12/5/84    Beverly Hills Cop      $234,760,478
6/29/88    Coming to America  $128,152,301

Do you folks know what  you are saying when you say it or are you making ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- up as you go?

[ChadTower]

Adjust those for inflation/ticket price and try again.

Anyway, it's simple.  The dumbass comedies cost only a few million to make.  If they gross $25million, which isn't much for a movie, they make a large profit.  That's why we get those movies and that's why you see A list actors in them.  Quick, easy paycheck with high profit overall.

[FrizzleFried]

Don't get me wrong...Haunted Mansion sucked ass... but I'd still take that poison any day.   The say the guy doesn't make a studio profit or is somehow "poison" is absurd.

[FrizzleFried]

Low and behold...Eddie Murphie is the 3rd highest grossing actor OF ALL TIME...

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/?view=Actor&sort=sumgross&p=.htm

...below Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford...

This only punctuates just how ABSURD it is to call him "Box Office Posion".

1    Tom Hanks    $3,325.4    32    $103.9    Forrest Gump    $329.7
2    Harrison Ford    $3,093.4    29    $106.7    Star Wars    $461.0
3    Eddie Murphy    $3,090.8    32    $96.6    Shrek 2    $441.2
4    Tom Cruise    $2,697.3    27    $99.9    War of the Worlds    $234.3
5    Robin Williams    $2,644.8    38    $69.6    Night at the Museum    $239.5

Hahaha...holy hell.  I didn't know he was THAT high on the list.   

[ChadTower]

He's box office gold... he's poison to ---my bottom---, though, when I try to sit through one of the crappy comedies he makes.  Those movie theater seats are not comfy after a while.

[FrizzleFried]

He's box office gold... he's poison to ---my bottom---, though, when I try to sit through one of the crappy comedies he makes.  Those movie theater seats are not comfy after a while.

Tell me about it...i hate theater seats.   I am 6'4" 280lbs and they don't make them seats for guys like me.   My back is killing me by the end of the 1st hour.   I DREAD long ass flicks like Private Ryan etc.

[Zakk]

He's box office gold... he's poison to ---my bottom---, though, when I try to sit through one of the crappy comedies he makes.  Those movie theater seats are not comfy after a while.

Plus the fact that you hate everything, all the time. 

[CheffoJeffo]

Quick, easy paycheck with high profit overall.

Yeah, sound like he's a clown ....

[sodapopinski]

This only punctuates just how ABSURD it is to call him "Box Office Posion".

yeah the facts are there, he's not box office poison, but his movies can be painful to watch.

[ChadTower]

Yeah, sound like he's a clown ....

Clown, comedian, what's the difference?

[boykster]

I agree, many of his movies seriously suck....but he does have box office clout.

I just watched (because it was on TNT-HD) "I-Spy" with Eddie and Owen Wilson......that's 90 minutes I'll never get back. 

But when Eddie is "on", Eddie is ON!!! 

[Ken Layton]

You're forgetting that horrid piece of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- he made called, "Pluto Nash". And don't forget that steaming pile of a television program he did called, "The PJ's".

I consider Eddie Murphy a has been. He made great stuff like Beverly Hills Cop and Trading Places, but nowadays you couldn't pay me to see ANY of his new stuff.

[FrizzleFried]

You're forgetting that horrid piece of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- he made called, "Pluto Nash". And don't forget that steaming pile of a television program he did called, "The PJ's".

I consider Eddie Murphy a has been. He made great stuff like Beverly Hills Cop and Trading Places, but nowadays you couldn't pay me to see ANY of his new stuff.

Awe come on Ken,  you know you loved Shrek....but that's not really "HIS" per say...

[Ken Layton]

I despise Shrek (er should I say Drek). I hate all computer generated "movies".

[ChadTower]

I liked The PJs.

If you hate all computer generated movies you must have a problem with pretty much anything made in the last ten years.  Almost all movies have a good amount of CG effects now.  Studios use them as a way to cut back on set construction and location shooting.

[Zakk]

You two should go see a movie together!  Chad can complain about the price of popcorn and the uncomfortable seats, and you can complain about the CGI and poor acting! 

[ChadTower]

His boobs aren't big enough for me to date him.

[Zakk]

Damn, now you're criticizing his moobs.  You really gotta get some therapy if we're going to find you a nice man to settle down with.

[ChadTower]

All the good ones are either gay or taken.

[shmokes]

Frizzle is just being disingenuous.  Anybody with half a brain, and I think but cannot be sure Frizzle qualifies, can tell from the OP and those that followed, that nobody is talking about how much money Eddie Murphy made, but rather the quality of the products he's been selling.  Coming back with a balance sheet is retarded.  Eddie Murphy's fat paycheck doesn't make his movies any easier to sit through.  And it's not like he just shows up in one of these pieces of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- every once in a while.  These throw-away family comedies make up about 95% of what he does.

[ChadTower]

Frizzle is just being disingenuous.

Coming back with a balance sheet is retarded. 

I think someone yanked his pullstring.

[shmokes]

I'm all wired up from the healthcare thread today.   

[koolmoecraig]

The Nutty Professor was good.

How about mentioning the fact that Eddie walked out of the Oscars when he didn't win the award.  He literally got up and walked out of the theater after Alan Arkin was announced.

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2007/02/27/eddie_murphy_stormed_out_of_oscar_ceremo

Now that is a little b*tch.

[Howard_Casto]

Actually, for actor driven films (in other words one person carries the whole film) it's generally assumed that the more money you make, the less successful you are critically.  You see people will go to non-edgy films more than they will go to more niche films.

In other words crap sells because it's bland enough for the masses to accept. 

It's just like music really.  People like Ashley Simpson are at the top of the charts, but do you really think that makes them better than someone more obscure?  Nah, her stuff is just so generic anybody can tolerate it.



With that being said, Mr. Murphy has what I like to call "old comedians syndrome".  See part of being a good comedian (and of course part of making good comedic films) involves having a quick wit and having a pulse on the latest in pop-culture.  After a comedian reaches the age of 40, he automatically becomes at least 50% less funny.  It's not an Eddie Murphy exclusive....  Chevy Chase, Robin Williams, Tim Allen (ok Tim Allen was never funny) ect.... it happens to them all.

[horseboy]

The Nutty Professor was good.

How about mentioning the fact that Eddie walked out of the Oscars when he didn't win the award.  He literally got up and walked out of the theater after Alan Arkin was announced.

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2007/02/27/eddie_murphy_stormed_out_of_oscar_ceremo

Now that is a little b*tch.

Ya, I also heard he hangs out with that damned Jim Belushi. 

[horseboy]

After a comedian reaches the age of 40, he automatically becomes at least 50% less funny.  It's not an Eddie Murphy exclusive....  Chevy Chase, Robin Williams, Tim Allen (ok Tim Allen was never funny) ect.... it happens to them all.

Redd Foxx?

[sodapopinski]

n other words crap sells because it's bland enough for the masses to accept. 

exactly.

you may want to edit out the part about Chevy Chase. He seems like the type that might sue, I mean, the guy's gotta have no money left.

[FrizzleFried]

Redd Foxx was a hilarious bastard right to the end.  Same goes for George Burns.  Robin Williams isn't as funny,  but he has done a pretty damn spiffy job of reinventing himself as a serious actor.

Chevy Chase is a has-been.  Bill Murray...has been.  Dan Akeroid(sp?)...has been.  Hell,  i'd go so fare as to say that ALL of Saturday Night Live's actors turn to HAS-BEENS.

[Howard_Casto]

After a comedian reaches the age of 40, he automatically becomes at least 50% less funny.  It's not an Eddie Murphy exclusive....  Chevy Chase, Robin Williams, Tim Allen (ok Tim Allen was never funny) ect.... it happens to them all.

Redd Foxx?

No Red Foxx is a character comedian, or a comedian based on a stereo-type.  Guys like him and Rodney Dangerfield never changed their act at all so it doesn't matter if they get old.

[horseboy]

Redd Foxx was a hilarious bastard right to the end.  Same goes for George Burns.  Robin Williams isn't as funny,  but he has done a pretty damn spiffy job of reinventing himself as a serious actor.

Chevy Chase is a has-been.  Bill Murray...has been.  Dan Akeroid(sp?)...has been.  Hell,  i'd go so fare as to say that ALL of Saturday Night Live's actors turn to HAS-BEENS.

Bill Murray is no has-been. If you were here and I were wearing a white glove, I would remove it and strike you across the face.

[ChadTower]

Could you point us to a good movie he has done in the last ten years?  All I can think of is crap like Garfield and Charlie's Angels.

[FrizzleFried]

Redd Foxx was a hilarious bastard right to the end.  Same goes for George Burns.  Robin Williams isn't as funny,  but he has done a pretty damn spiffy job of reinventing himself as a serious actor.

Chevy Chase is a has-been.  Bill Murray...has been.  Dan Akeroid(sp?)...has been.  Hell,  i'd go so fare as to say that ALL of Saturday Night Live's actors turn to HAS-BEENS.

Bill Murray is no has-been. If you were here and I were wearing a white glove, I would remove it and strike you across the face.

Please Horseboy...explain to me one funny thing Bill has done in the last 10 years?   Did you see the episode of American Chopper he was on...trying to be funny...failing miserably?

Don't get me wrong...i LOVED Bill and would go see another Bill flick in a minute...but i'd expect it to suck ...and likely wouldn't come away disappointed.

[FrizzleFried]

Could you point us to a good movie he has done in the last ten years?  All I can think of is crap like Garfield and Charlie's Angels.

Haha....I wrote the above post before reading this one...we think alike Chad...

[shmokes]

Lost in Translation
The Royal Tenenbaums
Life Aquatic (pretty good, but had potential to be so much better)
Rushmore

[shardian]

Lost in Translation - haven't seen, but not a comedy
The Royal Tenenbaums - sucked. Murray was NOT funny in this one. If he was it was an accident.
Life Aquatic - sucked. same as above
Rushmore - haven't seen, but also not a true comedy.

[AtomSmasher]

Lost in Translation - hated it
The Royal Tenenbaums - okay movie, but Murray had a minor role
Life Aquatic - I really liked this movie, but I grew up watching jacque cousteau which I think was a requirement for liking this movie. 
Rushmore - I also liked this movie.

Three of those movies are made by Wes Anderson which have a very different feel then most movies, so if you don't like his style then you won't like Bill Murrays recent movies.

Also, Kingpin was an extremely hilarious movie, but it is 11 years old now.

[ChadTower]

Oh God Kingpin was a crappy piece of crap, smeared with crap, sitting on a steaming pile of crap.  And it had a massive piece of corn sticking out of the side near the top.

[shardian]

Oh God Kingpin was a crappy piece of crap, smeared with crap, sitting on a steaming pile of crap.  And it had a massive piece of corn sticking out of the side near the top.

...but it was funnny as hell!


We don't have a cow...we have bull.

[ChadTower]

I cannot stand Woody Harrelson.  He is not funny, talented, or anything.  He destroys anything he is in, always has, always will.  Erg.

[shmokes]

You have clearly not seen The People vs. Larry Flynt.  Fantastic movie, and Harrelson's performance was utterly brilliant.  I just thought he was good and entertaining when I saw the movie.  Then I saw a clip of an interview with the real Larry Flynt.  Woody Harrelson was great.

Others:

White Men Can't Jump
North Country
Cheers

um . . . that's all that immediately come to mind, but I'm sure a trip to IMDB would turn up more

edit: Well, it turned up Natural Born Killers, and a couple of other decent movies.  But most of it is crap.

[ChadTower]

I saw about the first half hour of The People vs Larry Flynt.  I couldn't go any further.  Harrelson sucks too much and life is too short. 

White Men Can't Jump would have been good with a better White Man.  The rest of the movie was well done if stupid but Harrelson would have had to step up his game to suck.  I kept hoping they'd just shoot him and get on with the rest of the movie.  And maybe shoot his character too.

Cheers was good when Harrelson was minimized or absent and also when he left.  When he was on, it was off.

[koolmoecraig]

Kingpins was pretty good. Plus, Bill Murrays performance in Kingpins is probably his best comic performance since Groundhogs Day.

Rushmore was great.

[FrizzleFried]

Chad just doesn't like Woody cuz he's a flaming liberal (woody that is...not chad).  Woody was great in People vs Larry Flint and Natural Born Killers and Cheers...but Coach was better in Cheers...but so was the entire show.

[shmokes]

Seriously, watch an interview with Larry Flynt.  Woody Harrelson IS Larry Flynt in that movie.  Plus, the movie is fantastic.  You know who else is fantastic in that movie is Courtney Love, which comes as rather a gigantic surprise.

[ChadTower]

Chad just doesn't like Woody cuz he's a flaming liberal (woody that is...not chad).  Woody was great in People vs Larry Flint and Natural Born Killers and Cheers...but Coach was better in Cheers...but so was the entire show.

I didn't know he's a flaming liberal.  I just know he's one of those people that annoys the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- out of me the second he appears in anything.  Everyone has a person or two in their life like that.  For me it's Woody Harrelson and Will Ferrel.

I'll give Ferrel a little credit for Curious George, though.  I liked that movie and he wasn't annoying in that.

[DarkBubble]

Seriously, watch an interview with Larry Flynt.  Woody Harrelson IS Larry Flynt in that movie.  Plus, the movie is fantastic.  You know who else is fantastic in that movie is Courtney Love, which comes as rather a gigantic surprise.

I agree on Harrelson.  I'm not a fan, but he nailed Flynt.  Courtney, however, was just playing Courtney.  It's probably not far off from the performance she'd been planning to give for the role of Nancy until she was knocked down to a supporting role in Sid and Nancy.

[Dartful Dodger]

Is Larry Flynt that physicist?

I'd think even Harrelson wouldn't be able to mess up a part where he's playing a guy in a wheel chair with an oxygen mask.

[FrizzleFried]

Is Larry Flynt that physicist?

Uh?  What? 

[shmokes]

Yeah, I can't decide if that's a joke or if he really somehow got Stephen Hawking out of Larry Flint (or someone else.  Anyway, in case you are serious, Flynt is the founder of Hustler magazines and has fought a couple of landmark free press, free speech court battles.

[tommy]

Frizzle is just being disingenuous.  Anybody with half a brain, and I think but cannot be sure Frizzle qualifies, can tell from the OP and those that followed, that nobody is talking about how much money Eddie Murphy made, but rather the quality of the products he's been selling.  Coming back with a balance sheet is retarded. 

Absolutely, i was not getting at the fools who made the movies or the fools who paid good money to go see that crap... i was talking about the low grade crap he chooses to make and was wondering why a good actor would degrade himself or think he was making something worth while.

Not that they are in the same class, but would be like Robert De Niro staring in the wayons crap, white chicks (or in this case, black chicks) It would never happen.

[Howard_Casto]

I would argue that kingpin was good despite Bill Murray being in it (his part was serviceable, but other than the bad hair jokes anyone could have played it).  Regardless it was just an "ok" comedy and it's 11 years old, so it wouldn't be something he did in the past 10 years anyway. 

And I agree with the sentiment that Bill WAS very talented and I love him to death.  I'd love to see him come up with something worth seeing, but right now he's dead in the water. 

Woody is a very talented actor though and I also enjoyed the Larry Flint Documentary and his portrayal of the porn king himself.  And no, it does take a great deal of talent to pull that one off.  The guy is a real character, so much so that it takes great talent to make the role believable rather than coming off as a bad impersonation of the man.  I don't think people appreciate the job Woody did because Flynt isn't exactly the type of guy you see on tv everyday, so most only know the man from the character in the flim.   

I'm not a big fan of Hustler, but I was well aware of the man because of his civil rights suits.  Anybody that'll stand up for the constitution is ok in my book, even if the reasons are slightly selfish.

Will Farrell is ok too, if you understand the fact that he purposefully dumbs-down everything he does to appeal to the jeff foxworthy demographic.  There are subtle things in his train-wrecks called films that are worth the price of admission and his ...umm less than intelligent... fan base won't get them

[shmokes]

Not that they are in the same class, but would be like Robert De Niro staring in the wayons crap, white chicks (or in this case, black chicks) It would never happen.

It would be like DeNiro staring in Meet the Parents or Rocky and Bullwinkle.   

[tommy]

Not that they are in the same class, but would be like Robert De Niro staring in the wayons crap, white chicks (or in this case, black chicks) It would never happen.

It would be like DeNiro staring in Meet the Parents or Rocky and Bullwinkle.   

Surly you're not comparing meet the parents with white chicks, MTP is not by any means De Niros best work, but is a movie worth watching and is IMO worth seeing.

[Howard_Casto]

Bah! They both sucked. 

You want to talk about an over-rated actor, look no further than Ben Stiller. The man ruins every film he's in.   The true sign of a bad actor is if they co-star with Deniro and the movie STILL sucks.  I thought that was against the laws of physics until MTP came out.  On the other hand, his dad is great!

I don't know what happened to the Wayons Bros.  either.....  Are they all over 40 yet?  Yup that must be it.  Remember how they were all edgy and ground-breaking on ILC?  Now they are as bland and outdated as the early 90's.  It's either the over 40 rule, or the dead one had all the talent. 

[AtomSmasher]

How about Meet the Fockers, Analyze That, or Showtime (which also stared Eddie Murphy).  I still agree white chicks is worse than those, but De Niro has been in some amazing bad comedies lately.

[ChadTower]

They get paid big $$ to do an easy, short job.  What is hard to understand about that?

[Howard_Casto]

Analyze that is one of the best films in his cannon, don't know what you have to gripe about there.  (Billy Crystal + Robert DeNiro = classic).  MTF is part of MTP so you can only count that as one.  Showtime was ok... not good, not bad, just ok.  The fact that murphy is in it is what makes it just ok, he pulled the whole movie down with him. 

Reagardless, there is a key difference here.  The schlock that Murphy and the Wayans bros. have been in lately is their own creations.  There's a big difference in starring in a movie that just happens to suck big ones and creating a giant turd from the ground up.  Murphy has nobody to blame but himself for the stinkers he's been in. 

[vader]

Oh God Kingpin was a crappy piece of crap, smeared with crap, sitting on a steaming pile of crap.  And it had a massive piece of corn sticking out of the side near the top.

but it had Vanessa Angel and damn was she hot in that film

[CheffoJeffo]

Dan Akeroid(sp?)...has been. 

Yeah, but he makes a lovely tequila ...

[CheffoJeffo]

Absolutely, i was not getting at the fools who made the movies or the fools who paid good money to go see that crap... i was talking about the low grade crap he chooses to make and was wondering why a good actor would degrade himself or think he was making something worth while.

Stuck with a trio of asshats and find myself agreeing with Chad.

So, tommy, the answer is .... 'coz he gets paid lots of money and he probably doesn't care all that much that some glass-monger posting on an arcade website is "disappointed" in him.

Until he starts looking for a Wii-quarium(tm), that is ... then I'm sure that he'll be all-too-happy to justify his choices to you.

Cheers

[AtomSmasher]

Analyze that is one of the best films in his cannon, don't know what you have to gripe about there.  (Billy Crystal + Robert DeNiro = classic).  MTF is part of MTP so you can only count that as one.  Showtime was ok... not good, not bad, just ok.  The fact that murphy is in it is what makes it just ok, he pulled the whole movie down with him. 

Anaylze This was a really good movie, Anaylze That (the sequal) was not.  I don't know why you want to count sequals as one movie, very often the original is great, but the sequals sucks.  Each movie is seperate and should be treated as such.

Reagardless, there is a key difference here.  The schlock that Murphy and the Wayans bros. have been in lately is their own creations.  There's a big difference in starring in a movie that just happens to suck big ones and creating a giant turd from the ground up.  Murphy has nobody to blame but himself for the stinkers he's been in. 

Agreed, I was responding to the comment saying De Niro would never be in a Wayans brothers type movie, not whether De Niro is as good or bad as Murphy or the Wayans brothers.

[Organic Jerk]

After a comedian reaches the age of 40, he automatically becomes at least 50% less funny. 

George Carlin?


The man's funny grew 80% AFTER he turned 40...

[shmokes]

Meet the Parents is crap.  Meet the Fockers is just smellier crap.  Analyze This and Analyze That are both totally unwatchable crap.  Showtime is awful.

It's one thing to like terrible movies.  Whatever.  There's no accounting for taste.  But to say that Analyze That is one of the best movies in an actor's canon is ---smurfing--- nutso, when the other movies you are talking about include: Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, The Godfather, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Heat, Cop Land, The Score, Ronin, A Bronx Tale, The Untouchables, Cape Fear, Jackie Brown . . .

Seriously, are you crazy?  FWIW, Analyze That got an average score of 28/100 or 2.8/10 with critics nationwide, with 144 critics counted.  It doesn't mean everything, but it's a pretty good indicator that the movie is a pile of garbage.

[koolmoecraig]

Mad Dog and Glory was a great Bill Murray / DeNiro movie.  Not many people saw it though.

Bill Murray stole Kingpins man.  It wasn't just about hair jokes.  One of his most classic moments ever was when he' sitting in the diner hitting on the women in the table across from him.

[ChadTower]

Bill Murray never recovered from being dunked in flaming marshmallow.