The Curious Case of Eddie Murphy – Part Five

The first half of the 1990s would not be a great time for Mr. Eddie Murphy, with big box office disappointments including The Distinguished Gentleman, Beverly Hills Cop III, and Vampire in Brooklyn. In the last half of the decade, he would find his footing, reinventing himself a family movie star with giant hits The Nutty Professor and Doctor Dolittle, mixed in with big flops like Holy Man. In 1999, he would end the decade with two well-received titles, Life and Bowfinger.

The 2000s decade would begin with the obligatory sequel Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps. It was not nearly as well-reviewed as the 1996 original, but it still performed quite well with $123 million domestically.

The summer of 2001 would bring another obvious sequel – Dr. Dolittle 2. Again, it wasn’t quite as well-received as the first, but grossed a very respectable $112 million.

The real story that summer for Murphy would be his debut as Donkey in the Dreamworks animated feature Shrek. Teaming with Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz, the film’s ironic twist on fairy tales scored huge with audiences and critics. It grossed an astonishing $267 million and Murphy’s Donkey character was singled out as a highlight. Instantly becoming an animated classic (and deservedly so), Shrek would spawn several sequels and give Murphy one of his most memorable characters in some time.

While Murphy’s first three films of the decade were all high grossers, he would make three movies in 2002 and all were box office and critical disappointments. We start with Showtime, a comedy which would team Murphy with Robert DeNiro. I recall being very excited for this one and like most audience members and critics, profoundly disappointed when I saw it. Lots of potential wasted here in a by-the-numbers buddy cop formula comedy. Showtime would only earn $38 million at the box office.

If Showtime was a major letdown, The Adventures of Pluto Nash was an outright disaster. And a historical one at that. Produced on a $100 million budget, this lame sci-fi comedy took in $4.4 million. Yes, you read that correctly. It didn’t even make 5% of its budget back. Ouch. Pluto Nash would join such legendary Hollywood flops such as Howard the Duck, Ishtar, and Waterworld as cautionary tales of massive overspending when the people behind the movie should’ve realized that it wasn’t any good. Like most movies in this category, it’s probably not as awful as its reputation, but it’s still pretty weak.

Murphy would round out 2002 with another flop, the remake of the 1960s TV show I Spy, costarring Owen Wilson. Once again, the movie didn’t connect with audiences or critics, making only $33 million. Much like Showtime, I Spy has lots of potential that was mostly squandered. I will give it some backhanded praise, though. Of his three 2002 disappointments, it’s the best of the worst.

2003 would see Murphy going the family friendly route again with two features. Neither were hits with critics, but both did well at the box office. First, Daddy Day Care. Critics savaged it, but it earned $104 million and I will admit, it has its funny moments and I can see why kids would like it.

Disney’s The Haunted Mansion didn’t do quite as well, but made a respectable $75 million. It’s nothing special, but again it has its moments and did well with the kiddos. What was becoming disappointing to Eddie fans was that these family guy roles did little to challenge this extraordinary performer. Sure, he could be funny in anything, but he was definitely coasting.

Summer 2004 would have Murphy doing the Donkey thing again in Shrek 2. This installment drew raves from audiences and critics again, to the tune of an incredible $441 million at the box office. Shrek 2 still stands as Eddie’s biggest box office hit and it’s hard to see anything ever replacing it.

Eddie has been working a LOT in the early part of the decade, so we would see his longest break after Shrek 2. It would two and a half years before another movie. 

That would turn out to be 2006’s Dreamgirls, a musical drama based on the Broadway play. Dreamgirls would turn out to be a major change of pace for Murphy. It would allow him to stretch as an actor, with his first real dramatic role as a drug-addicted James Brown type singer, James “Thunder” Early. 

Murphy would absolutely hit it out of the park. His brilliant performance reminded audiences the amazing singular talent that Murphy was. He won the Golden Globe award for Supporting Actor and many felt he was one of his way to Oscar. On Oscar night, however, the statue surprisingly ended up going to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine, denying Murphy his own real chance in his career to win. He should’ve won. Dreamgirls stands as the first time Murphy tackles a dramatic role and proves he should have done that more. Maybe three less boring family guy roles. Audiences would respond well too, with the film taking in $103 million.

The Oscar buzz Eddie would gain for Dreamgirls gave him a golden opportunity to expand his career. Would he use that opportunity? We’ll find out in the last installment of The Curious Case of Eddie Murphy, coming soon.