Eddie Murphy Ruled the 80's

     There are a few actors who are so likable that they make even the worst movie watchable.  Eddie Murphy is one of them.  I love his classics, but I'm also even able to stomach his less than classic films.  We're talking terrible atrocities such as Imagine That, Daddy Day Care, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, even Dr. Dolittle.   The world may actually be a better place without these movies.  But still, I can watch them because of Eddie.

It's creepy and a bit disturbing but admit it: you smiled a little

I've noticed over the years that a lot of people HATE Eddie Murphy for his descent into kid friendly movies in the late 90's/2000's.  Eddie's journey into family friendly films was maybe an artistic nose-dive, but I can't say that it was bad for Eddie from a business stand point.  All of those kids movies brought in a lot of money (Shrek is one of the biggest money making franchises of all time) and you can't hate on the man for that.  I'm here to remind you of how great Eddie was in his heyday.  People forget about what Eddie did in the 80s.  It's like he says in what is still the highest grossing stand up comedy film of all time,  Raw. "Eddie...what have you done for me lately?" 

Here's a list of some of my favorite Eddie Moments:

Eddie Murphy Delirious

This was 1982. Eddie was really only known for Saturday Night Live.  This is not only the first stand up special I've ever seen, but it's still my favorite to this day.  Eddie basically sets a template for a lot of comedians to follow by musing about politics, celebrities, relationships, and family BBQs.   The fact that it still holds up over 30 years is amazing to me. See this now if you haven't. 

 

48 Hours

He followed Delirious up with his first feature film, and it actually may be my favorite Eddie Murphy movie.  Eddie and Nick Nolte again set a template for future buddy comedies like Rush Hour, Lethal Weapon, and Bulletproof but what makes this one different is simply Eddie Murphy.  He just seems like a fish out of water in an action film here and that uniqueness gives this film a very fresh feel even today.

 

Beverly Hills Cop

His first really big movie,  but what makes this movie amazing to me is to think what a disaster it would have been if Slyvester Stallone would have played the lead as originally planned.   For years, this was the highest grossing rated R movie of all time, and it established Eddie as the biggest star around.  The sequels?  Well sequels are almost always a disappointment   The theme song from this stays stuck in my head to this day. 

 

Coming to America  

This is probably the zenith of Eddie's career.  "SEXUAL CHOCOLATE", and the song "To be Loved", by Jackie Wilson, are eternally imprinted in my mind.   And Eddie sets a blueprint for himself by playing multiple characters, which he would later perfect in The Nutty Professor.

Golden Child 
Alright this wasn't the best movie, but it doesn't do anything to kill Eddie's momentum at this point.   He can afford to take a risk, and he does with what I can only describe as a comedy fantasy?   

Eddie Murphy Raw
My second favorite stand-up special after Delirious.  

Trading Places  
I watch this every Christmas, and you should as well.  What else exhibits and exudes the Christmas spirit better than this? 

     So what happened after that?  There are conflicting opinions.  I think Harlem Nights was still Eddie's prime, and I even loved Another 48 Hours, but some people think it was downhill after Raw.   I like everything up until The Distinguished Gentleman, which, in my opinion, is one of his worst movies ever. 

I'd like to give a shout to three Eddie gems that many haven't seen.

Boomerang-  Eddie hasn't done too many romantic comedies, but this one is really good.  

Bowfinger-  Many haven't seen this, but it's probably Eddie's last great comedic performance, he plays two polar opposite characters well enough that you might think it's two different actors.

Life-  A movie with Martin Lawrence that should have been a WAY bigger hit than it was.  It has an 80's Eddie feel, but unlike some of his other 90's stuff, it has a real heart behind it.

Vampire in Brooklyn -  Just kidding. RIP Wes Craven.

     Eddie really was the biggest movie star of the 80's.  It's really not in question.  As a comedian, the box office run he had from 1982-1989 is almost unmatched and many of his movies still stand the test of time. 

(Editor's Note: Mike checked the box office returns for the 80's and Eddie was a bigger draw than Arnie. Eddie Murphy wins the 80's. Arnie hits his peak in 1990 with Terminator 2 while Eddie only cracks the top 10 once in the 90's with The Nutty Professor)

If you want to buy some of the movies we talked about in this article, feel free to click away and help GGR out a little bit!