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Monday, June 15, 2009
Help! Save Eddie Murphy’s career!
Eddie Murphy’s new movie may be called Imagine That, but its box office this weekend should give Murphy a hard slap of reality.
The movie grossed $5.7 million dollars. For the entire weekend. Let’s put that into perspective, shall we?
That’s only slightly better than last summer’s Meet Dave, which made $5.2 million its opening weekend.
That’s about as much as the current box office leaders, Up and The Hangover, were making in one day. During the week.
That’s only about as much as much as 12 Rounds made during its opening weekend. Congratulations, Eddie. You are now the box office equal of John fricken’ Cena!
Clearly, Murphy’s career is on the skids. And clearly, not many people above the age of 6 are interested in his movies anymore. How can he get back on track? I have a few ideas.
1) No more family “comedies”: When Murphy started making these several years ago, it was kind of novel. Now it’s old hat. I didn’t think these movies were very good even when they were moneymakers like Daddy Day Care and Dr. Dollittle. Now too many bland Haunted Mansions have caught up with him so no one cares anymore. And apparently Murphy hasn’t learned his lesson. On his slate is a remake of The Incredible Shrinking Man, by the writers of the Night at the Museum movies. Eddie. Stop. Enough. (The Shrek sequels get a pass, those are understandable, even if they’re diminishing in quality.)
2) Go back to making grown-up comedies: They don’t necessarily have to be raunchy movies, but good, solid adult comedies that will allow him to flex those comedy muscles that have atrophied. Something like Bowfinger would be nice.
3) Take more supporting roles, or at least co-leads: It worked like gangbusters for Dreamgirls, his one recent unqualified success. And actually, Bowfinger is a good example there too. He was a lead in that, but that was just as much Steve Martin’s movie as it was his. Those days when he could take a lame script like The Golden Child and turn it into a hit just because he was in it? Done and gone.
4) Work with A-list talent behind the camera: Too many of Murphy’s movies lately have been directed by nondescript names like Brian Robbins (Norbit, Meet Dave) and Tom Dey (Showtime). He needs to turn to good directors like Frank Oz. It would be really interesting to see him in one of Judd Apatow’s movies. Heck, even John Landis would be preferable at this point. But again, Murphy doesn’t seem to know what’s good for him. Robbins is directing him again in a movie called A Thousand Words. (sigh).
5) Check the ego at the door. Or better yet, sell it: Some people were surprised when Murphy lost his Dreamgirls Oscar to Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine. I wasn’t. I called that a mile away. He has alienated too many people in Hollywood with his self-important, “I’m god’s gift to this movie” attitude. And quite frankly, he alienated me. When he picked up some awards for Dreamgirls, he kept going on about how he worked in the movie for “free.” Yuk, yuk, yuk.
You may have been laughing Eddie, but all that told me was that all you care about is money. Well now your movies aren’t making any.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike Eddie Murphy. I’m very disappointed in him. It’s not that he’s lost his talent. If that were the case, it would be easier to write him off and move on. But as Dreamgirls showed, he can still deliver the goods. The problem is, that movie aside, Murphy just isn’t trying anymore. He’s capable of so much better, but he takes the lazy road almost every time now. And for someone as talented as him, that’s a crying shame.
What do you think? Why did you stop seeing Eddie Murphy’s movies? What would get you to go back to him again?
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