Eddie Murphy Raw


Synopsis
An hour and a half of stand-up comedy by Eddie Murphy. (R, 1987)


Observations
I remember when this came out and my parents were on serious patrol to make sure that I didn’t see it. They were probably right about that (I was 11). But watching it ten years later as an adult didn’t diminish any of its charms. If you can get past the outfit (purple leather pants, jacket and black leather gloves) and the latent homophobia and misogyny, this is a really funny movie. Though Murphy could not possible look more eighties, his jokes are surprisingly relevant and universal. It was refreshing to be reminded that good stand-up can be timeless.

What happened to this Eddie Murphy?? While watching this many of Murphy’s less, umm, dignified roles come to mind – Pluto Nash, Nutty Professor (I & II), Dr. Doolittle (I & II). Has bourgeois ennui taken Eddie over to the extent that he will sign up for anything if the price is right? Who knows? Though not for the faint of heart, this film is just about as good as stand-up gets.

Rating:
Amazon's entry for Eddie Murphy Raw