If you grew up watching Eddie Murphy chomping on a cigar as Gumby or getting gunned down in a hail of bullets as Buckwheat on Saturday Night Live, or better yet, dropping F-bombs as the cool-cat star of 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop, it’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that there’s a whole generation out there that has no clue just how funny and dirty he once was.When they think of Eddie Murphy — if they even think of him at all — it’s as the donkey from the kiddie franchise Shrek, or the once-dangerous comedian desperately searching for laughs in fart gags and fat suits in The Klumps.
The fact is, it’s been over a decade since Murphy made a decent movie — 1999′s Bowfinger – and way, way longer since he made a great one. But here’s the good news: it looks like Eddie Murphy is finally back. His latest comedy, Tower Heist, is doing solidly at the box office this weekend. And I’d bet that a good chunk of those ticket buyers are folks like me who had their fingers crossed that this would be The One — the movie where we finally get a glimpse of that old, dirty Eddie Murphy magic again.
How did we get here? READ FULL STORY »
