Eddie Murphy Raw Review Outrageous stand-up comedy from 22-year-old Eddie Murphy in a classic 1983 concert from Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., as this contemporary comic genius reminisces childhood days and the ice cream man. 1983/color/70 min/NR/fullscreen. | |
| Richard Pryor: Live on Sunset Strip Review Light years before political correctness--1983 to be exact--or his comeback in tame Disney comedies, Eddie Murphy was a charismatic, wonderfully offensive, egocentric 22-year-old black comedian known for crude celebrity impersonations and often shockingly frank diatribes on racial and sexual politics. Dressed in a skin-tight red leather suit and delivering endless streams of obscenities faster than Richard Pryor ever did, Murphy is captured in this raunchy HBO special (a filmed document of his Grammy-winning album, Eddie Murphy, Comedian) at his confident, swaggering, comedic peak--a posture that soon disappeared after a string of bland Hollywood comedies. Here, however, his energy and sheer virtuosity command complete control over the audience for 107 minutes, whether he's mocking personalities like Elvis, James Brown, and Stevie Wonder, or spinning long, gag-filled personal anecdotes about the ice-cream man or dysfunctional family barbecues. There's no apologizing for the immature stereotyping, blatant homophobia, and sexism (though Murphy did so several years later) that surface during the routine. But, then again, unlike his much nastier, one-sided concert film, Raw, no topic here is safe from Murphy's uproarious tongue-lashings--including the comedian himself. --Dave McCoy | |
| Richard Pryor Here And Now Review The record-setting number one concert film, EDDIE MURPHY: RAW shows Eddie Murphy doing what he does best: making people laugh. Filmed live at New York's Felt Forum, Murphy delights, shocks, and entertains with celebrity impersonations, observations on 'love, sex and marriage in the 80's, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more. | |
| Kevin Hart: Seriously Funny Review The audacious concert film Eddie Murphy Raw rubbed some people the wrong way upon its release in 1987, but there's no denying that between Murphy's more insensitive bits about women and gay men is some of his most inspired material. While the young comedian indulges an unattractive homophobia and rants about the sexual manipulativeness of all females, he makes up for it with an amazing story about being chided by Bill Cosby for obscene humor and does a great impression of Mr. T falling under the spell of a Jedi mind trick. The best stuff comes deep into the show, particularly a long tale of being pressured into a fight at a club, resulting in a phone call to Murphy's drunk father, the latter in the middle of a verbal attack on his wife. The scene is genuinely horrifying and funny, testament to Murphy's early reputation as heir to Richard Pryor's mercilessly autobiographical brilliance. --Tom Keogh | |
| Kevin Hart: I'm a Grown Little Man Review In the early 80's, Saturday Night Live was coming back alive and the reason was Eddie Murphy. It's all here - Gumby, Buckwheat, Little Richard Simmons, and a dip in James Brown's Hot Tub. Pay a visit to Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood and see the best of Velvet Jones, Stevie Wonder, Solomon and Pudge, and more. Plus there's extra material, including outrageous outtakes and bloopers that have never been collected until now. | |
| The Original Kings of Comedy Review Perhaps one of the greatest lights ever to shine on late-night television, Eddie Murphy has gone on to well-deserved international superstardom. Check out his earliest television work on Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy, a collection of his greatest roles, from Gumby to Stevie Wonder to Buckwheat. Of course, some would argue that his best role was as himself, and there is plenty of evidence for that--many of the skits feature Murphy au naturel and the opening sequence is taken from his monologue when he returned to the show triumphantly after leaving for Hollywood. Exploring the world around him and finding laughs everywhere, Murphy can take a simple idea (such as the "James Brown Hot Tub Party") and run wild with it, leaving the audience hysterically begging for more. You don't have to be a fan to enjoy this collection, but odds are you'll be one by the time you're finished. --Rob Lightner | |
| Eddie Murphy - Delirious Review Get ready for non-stop laughs with one of today's funniest comedians in The Eddie Murphy Comedy Collection! Featuring The Nutty Professor, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Bowfinger and Life, this must-own collection also stars some of Hollywood's top talent. See how Eddie Murphy's outrageous talent has kept the world laughing year after year! THE NUTTY PROFESSOR Eddie Murphy gives the "performances" of his career, playing seven roles in this story of a "calorically challenged" genetics professor who experiments with his fat-reducing serum to win the heart of a beautiful woman (Jada Pinkett-Smith). NUTTY PROFESSOR II The Klump family (all played by Eddie Murphy) returns to save the day when Sherman Klump discovers a formula that reverses aging, but his thin and devious alter-ego wants a piece of the action. BOWFINGER A down-and-out Hollywood director (Steve Martin) enlists the help of a diva (Christine Baranski), a wannabe (Heather Graham), an unknowing superstar and his nerdy brother (both played by Eddie Murphy) to make his low-budget film project a reality. LIFE A conservative bank teller (Martin Lawrence) reluctantly teams up with a con artist (Eddie Murphy) for a bootlegging run that they hope will bring quick cash - but instead lands them in prison. | |
| Eddie Murphy Raw Review Outrageous stand-up comedy from 22-year-old Eddie Murphy in a classic 1983 concert from Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., as this contemporary comic genius reminisces childhood days and the ice cream man. 1983/color/70 min/NR/fullscreen. | |
| Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy Review Light years before political correctness--1983 to be exact--or his comeback in tame Disney comedies, Eddie Murphy was a charismatic, wonderfully offensive, egocentric 22-year-old black comedian known for crude celebrity impersonations and often shockingly frank diatribes on racial and sexual politics. Dressed in a skin-tight red leather suit and delivering endless streams of obscenities faster than Richard Pryor ever did, Murphy is captured in this raunchy HBO special (a filmed document of his Grammy-winning album, Eddie Murphy, Comedian) at his confident, swaggering, comedic peak--a posture that soon disappeared after a string of bland Hollywood comedies. Here, however, his energy and sheer virtuosity command complete control over the audience for 107 minutes, whether he's mocking personalities like Elvis, James Brown, and Stevie Wonder, or spinning long, gag-filled personal anecdotes about the ice-cream man or dysfunctional family barbecues. There's no apologizing for the immature stereotyping, blatant homophobia, and sexism (though Murphy did so several years later) that surface during the routine. But, then again, unlike his much nastier, one-sided concert film, Raw, no topic here is safe from Murphy's uproarious tongue-lashings--including the comedian himself. --Dave McCoy | |
| Richard Pryor Here and Now / Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip - Set Review The record-setting number one concert film, EDDIE MURPHY: RAW shows Eddie Murphy doing what he does best: making people laugh. Filmed live at New York's Felt Forum, Murphy delights, shocks, and entertains with celebrity impersonations, observations on 'love, sex and marriage in the 80's, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more. | |
| Bill Cosby, Himself Review The audacious concert film Eddie Murphy Raw rubbed some people the wrong way upon its release in 1987, but there's no denying that between Murphy's more insensitive bits about women and gay men is some of his most inspired material. While the young comedian indulges an unattractive homophobia and rants about the sexual manipulativeness of all females, he makes up for it with an amazing story about being chided by Bill Cosby for obscene humor and does a great impression of Mr. T falling under the spell of a Jedi mind trick. The best stuff comes deep into the show, particularly a long tale of being pressured into a fight at a club, resulting in a phone call to Murphy's drunk father, the latter in the middle of a verbal attack on his wife. The scene is genuinely horrifying and funny, testament to Murphy's early reputation as heir to Richard Pryor's mercilessly autobiographical brilliance. --Tom Keogh | |
| Richard Pryor - Live in Concert Review In the early 80's, Saturday Night Live was coming back alive and the reason was Eddie Murphy. It's all here - Gumby, Buckwheat, Little Richard Simmons, and a dip in James Brown's Hot Tub. Pay a visit to Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood and see the best of Velvet Jones, Stevie Wonder, Solomon and Pudge, and more. Plus there's extra material, including outrageous outtakes and bloopers that have never been collected until now. | |
| Eddie Murphy Raw Review Perhaps one of the greatest lights ever to shine on late-night television, Eddie Murphy has gone on to well-deserved international superstardom. Check out his earliest television work on Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy, a collection of his greatest roles, from Gumby to Stevie Wonder to Buckwheat. Of course, some would argue that his best role was as himself, and there is plenty of evidence for that--many of the skits feature Murphy au naturel and the opening sequence is taken from his monologue when he returned to the show triumphantly after leaving for Hollywood. Exploring the world around him and finding laughs everywhere, Murphy can take a simple idea (such as the "James Brown Hot Tub Party") and run wild with it, leaving the audience hysterically begging for more. You don't have to be a fan to enjoy this collection, but odds are you'll be one by the time you're finished. --Rob Lightner | |
| Eddie Murphy - Delirious Review Get ready for non-stop laughs with one of today's funniest comedians in The Eddie Murphy Comedy Collection! Featuring The Nutty Professor, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Bowfinger and Life, this must-own collection also stars some of Hollywood's top talent. See how Eddie Murphy's outrageous talent has kept the world laughing year after year! THE NUTTY PROFESSOR Eddie Murphy gives the "performances" of his career, playing seven roles in this story of a "calorically challenged" genetics professor who experiments with his fat-reducing serum to win the heart of a beautiful woman (Jada Pinkett-Smith). NUTTY PROFESSOR II The Klump family (all played by Eddie Murphy) returns to save the day when Sherman Klump discovers a formula that reverses aging, but his thin and devious alter-ego wants a piece of the action. BOWFINGER A down-and-out Hollywood director (Steve Martin) enlists the help of a diva (Christine Baranski), a wannabe (Heather Graham), an unknowing superstar and his nerdy brother (both played by Eddie Murphy) to make his low-budget film project a reality. LIFE A conservative bank teller (Martin Lawrence) reluctantly teams up with a con artist (Eddie Murphy) for a bootlegging run that they hope will bring quick cash - but instead lands them in prison. | |