10 of My Favourite Eddie Murphy Performances
Eddie and I haven't seen eye to eye lately, to keep it 100, I haven't seen much of Eddie at all lately. However, Eddie was a big fixture in my childhood and today you're going to find out about the 10 times Mr. Murphy made an impact on my life through his cinematic output!
Now let's remember, this isn't the best Eddie Murphy movies ranked worst to best. This is strictly performance based. Got it? Good!
Rank/Film:
#10- Shrek (2001)
What happened:
This is where I start to show my age. There's nothing you can tell me about this performance to convince me it isn't Eddie showing he's a comedic genius. Donkey never comes off as annoying for me, the delivery is on point throughout. I assume if I was a bit older or younger this role would either prove that Eddie had put his best work behind him or wouldn't even register as something of note. But, to me, this is just ANOTHER ONE for Eddie to be proud of.
Rank/Film:
#9- Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
What happened:
This is undeniably a great entry in the "Eddie Murphy is a king of comedy" case file, however by the time I got around to it, it felt like just more of the great Eddie I already knew. I wish I could have seen it when it first came out it so it could be as explosive as I know it would've been. At least Peter keeps Axel alive for the kids these days.
Rank/Film:
#8- Mulan (1998)
What happened:
Yeah, I know, it's proto-Donkey, but go back and tell me Eddie doesn't make Mushu impossible to like! No foul language as a crutch just amazing delivery of decent content. How did this get higher than the two previous films? Well I have to admit that the impact of this performance is heightened by the fact that it shows up in a top 5 Disney movie. More importantly though, I was just young enough for this to be something fresh and cool at the time I first saw it.
Rank/Film:
#7- The Golden Child (1986)
What happened:
I don't know why Chandler's irreverent use of the monks' pole makes me laugh so much but it just does! This performance is so influential that even Yeezus incorporated the "Brother Numpsay" (Oh hey! its Tywin!!!) scene into one of his better raps! Also did anyone else know that the golden child in the film was played by a female?
Rank/Film:
#6- Dreamgirls (2006)
What happened:
So apparently this amazing performance that showed the complete range of Mr. Murphy was counteracted by the eyebrow raising (for this fan anyway) film called Norbit and that's why he didn't win an Oscar. That's a shame because even with Ms Lemonade, and Jamie Foxx, and Jim Halpert's contribution, it's James "Thunder" Early who makes this movie re-watchable. JIMMY's GOT SOOOUUUL!
Rank/Film:
#5- Boomerang (1992)
What happened:
Seriously, this movie is so high up because everyone I know (or maybe just me) feels like Eddie doesn't know how to play well with others. If Eddie is the star of a movie that usually means he'll be playing like 8 other characters and no one else gets to shine. Seriously thought, check that cast list! I won't even list the amazing stars past, present, and future in the movie, just go ahead and click that IMDb link! I say all that to say this, Eddie still rises to the occasion and turns in a stand out performance while giving everyone else an opportunity to do their thing.
Rank/Film:
#4- Trading Places (1983)
What happened:
Just because this is probably my second favourite movie Eddie's in doesn't mean I can just have it at number 2. I have to base this on performance. I thought Billy Ray was the coolest person put on film so yeah this performance breaks into the top 5 but when you're talking about Eddie, you can't just have one good performance in a movie to break into the top 3.
Rank/Film:
#3- Coming to America (1988)
What happened:
Is this the first time Eddie got to do a bunch of characters in one movie? Did the makers of Lion King love this movie so much they recreated some of its magic by casting Prince Akeem's parents as Simba's parents? This movie has made its mark on people of all walks of life is what I'm getting at. It's dope! And it has Sammy J in it! Once again, a movie that has a bunch of past, present, and future stars in it who get to shine with added bonus of Eddie playing multiple characters throughout the movie and everyone's still happy!
Rank/Film:
#2- The Nutty Professor (1996)
What happened:
Honestly, when I first saw this movie, I was happy to see Lena James from A Different World and the Genie from TGIF's You Wish. I didn't even realize I was getting to see Dave Chappelle step up to the plate in a movie that could have easily seen Eddie take his role too. But what we're here for is the fact that Eddie hit the zenith of playing multiple roles in his movies. I don't think it ever got better than this. Well maybe the grandmother was funny in part 2 too, but every character he played in this movie brought the heat and I loved every second of it!
Rank/Film:
#1- Life (1999)
What happened:
This is actually my favourite Eddie Murphy movie and performance. So many quotables from Ray! I know Eddie doesn't play different characters but he definitely has the task of playing Ray throughout his life and making each stage distinct and informed by his experiences. It's truly well done. I hope I get invited to Ray's Boom Boom Room!
-YG