A must see doc for fans of Eddie Murphy.
Eddie Murphy is a comedian legend with franchise hits like “Beverly Hills Cop,” “48 Hours,” “The Nutty Professor,” “Shrek,” and “Coming to America,” and bombs like “Vampire in Brooklyn,” “The Adventures of Pluto Nash,” “I Spy,” and “Meet Dave.” He’s a comedian who has his highs at one point, his lows at one point, and his highs returning later on. And he also specializes in voices, being generous with the Rick Baker make-up and prosthetics, and the genres he’s been exploring.
The new Netflix documentary “Being Eddie” talks about the comedian’s life, his family, and career. And it’s a nice little addition to his successful return to movies, along with “Dolemite is My Name” and “Coming 2 America.” I guess the early 2020s has mostly been kind to him.
Murphy talks about his father, who was a murdered by a woman, and his stepfather, who made him into the man he is today. The movie also talks about how his success of “Beverly Hills Cop” made an impact on other African-American actors, which would give them more roles. He also talks about how his deceased brother Charlie made an impact on his life and how much he misses him. His stand-up comedy is also a pivotal moment in his life, and there are questions and comments about whether or not he’ll return to it. And there’s also a little music career for the comedian.
We hear from a number of comedians like Jamie Foxx, Tracy Morgan, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson (who was last seen unfortunately with Murphy in “The Pickup”), Arsenio Hall, and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as his brothers Charlie and Vernon Lynch, and filmmakers and producers like John Landis, Reginald Hudson, John Davis, Brian Grazer, and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
And we also get a little reminiscence on how Murphy started his career on “Saturday Night Live,” and how he made a comeback as a host and as the star of “Dolemite is My Name.” Even this doc shares its excitement for him playing George Clinton and Inspector Clouseau in the future.
Not everything is fully examined, but there’s a lot to talk about and celebrate about Murphy. “Being Eddie” shares its passion for him, and allows his fellow collaborators to speak their minds about him. It’s all about the impact he has made on them and many other people, career-wise and free-spirited-wise.
Last month, we got “John Candy: I Like Me” and now, we have “Being Eddie.” And both movies know the comedians inside and outside, and who they greatly affect. Granted, they’re both on different streaming services, but the adage still applies. We find ways to watch these docs, because we love the comedians they focus on.
“I’m Gumby, dammit!” and “What you see is what you get.”
Now Streaming on Netflix