It’s Eddie Murphy’s birthday! To mark the occasion, here are five performances from the comedian’s work. Check some of these out!
48 Hrs. (1982)
Eddie Murphy’s movie debut proved that he could transfer his comedy charisma from Saturday Night Live to the big screen. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for playing a chatterbox convict who teams up with Nick Nolte’s gruff cop in a film that popularized the buddy movie genre. Eddie Murphy proved he was a superstar when entered a redneck bar in That Scene.
Dolemite is My Name (2019)
You don’t need to have seen Rudy Ray Moore’s 1975 Blaxploitation film Dolemite to appreciate this loving, funky, wide-lapel tribute to an outrageous dreamer and the shoddy inner-city chop-socky film that fulfilled that dream. Although Dolemite Is My Name is loaded with laughs, Murphy actually digs deeper into his dramatic side than he ever had before in order to convey the frustrated artist beneath the fool’s costume. The film isn’t just a testament to the long-lost era of filmmaking, it’s a showcase for an actor who discovers a new part of his talent.
Trading Places (1983)
Directed by John Landis, Murphy’s best film reunited him with Dan Aykroyd, a fellow Saturday Night Live alumnus. Murphy played Billy Ray Valentine, a penniless street hustler who swaps lives with Louis Winthorpe III, a wealthy stockbroker. The film was originally going to star Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder but even they would have struggled to match Murphy and Aykroyd’s classic clash of brashness and snootiness.
Delirious (1983) and Raw (1987)
Eddie Murphy was simply untouchable in the 1980s when he was being himself. His comic-timing and other comedic factors were, in one word, exceptional. You might have seen or at least heard of a number of stand-up comedy films but not many made more money than some of the best movies of the 80s.
Many of the jokes Murphy made in these specials would give the woke crowd an aneurism and certainly would have been canceled today, however, they are hilarious enough to make me burst into laughter at least. It is not a typical feature film but it surely deserves a one-time watch. If not for anything else, it can be watched just to recall how big of a deal Murphy was in the ’80s.
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
Although it failed to reach the heights of success reached by its prequel, the second installment in the Beverly Hills Cop II still turned out to be quite an enjoyable flick. Eddie Murphy once again portrays the sassy detective Axel Foley who returns to Beverly Hills three years after the events of the first film.
Foley reunites with Beverly Hills detectives Billy Rosewood and John Taggart to investigate the assassination attempt on the captain as well as the series of “alphabet crimes” linked with it. Will Axel and his buddies solve the case before it’s too late? Well… yes, but what makes the movie a must-see one is the hilarious turn of events that transpire throughout.
What are some of your favorite films to feature birthday boy Eddie Murphy?
