Sooner or later I knew Eddie Murphy would show up. For reasons I find difficult to explain I've always run hot or cold with Mr. Murphy.
I absolutely love "Trading Places" and "Beverly Hills Cop", but I stay away from Eddie Murphy for anything else. I know that's unfair. My friend Mary always said I was jealous of Eddie but I explained it this way, "the more I get to know Eddie Murphy the less I like him".
There have been many situations where I'm required to like him because everyone else loves him to death. Sometimes it pays just to go along with the crowd, lol. That's why I like shows where comedians "talk shop", at the core of every funny person are personality traits that outline their style of comedy. Eddie Murphy seems to bring up a split opinion among certain comedians and critics.
I remember Eddie Murphy as "Buckwheat" on SNL, I'm surprised by how quickly I get the "Who's Eddie?" question from younger SNL fans. Have you noticed that many of my favorite comedians have jumped the shark as far as name recognition goes today.
As a comparison, take Wanda Sykes. I like Wanda in the same way I don't with Eddie, there's something about Wanda Sykes that hits all the right buttons with me. Here is part of her 2009 HBO Special:
The Eldorado is dead. Long live the Eldorado.
Are you sure you want to delete this post?
Yes |
No
"Coming to America" is one of my favs. Eddie played so many different characters, and they were all hilarious! The only comedian imo who rivals him in that respect is Martin Lawrence.
Are you sure you want to delete this post?
Yes |
No
What I find so interesting about Chris Rock is his ability to say things that would sound like hate-speech if someone else said it. Chris has certainly worked hard at his delivery, I enjoy watching him in front of an audience.
The humor of Chris Rock starts with writing. He is an excellent writer and has contributed to many film projects over the years. I guess every comedy guy wants to branch out to movies, television as well as live stage for fans.
Btw, nice New Yorker article. Thanks for the link SnS.
The Eldorado is dead. Long live the Eldorado.
Are you sure you want to delete this post?
Yes |
No
