Potential spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.
EDDIE MURPHY
Film: Dreamgirls
Eddie Murphy, to me, will always be Donkey. To some people, he’ll always be Axel Foley or Sherman Klump, or Doctor Dolittle, but for me, he’ll always be Donkey. That, to me, is what makes Eddie Murphy’s career so significant. In his forty-plus-year career, he’s played several iconic characters, arguably more than anyone else on this list. He burst onto the scene in 1980 as a scrappy young featured player on Saturday Night Live, where he became a massive star and almost single-handedly saved the show from cancellation. What amazes me is that he was only 19 when he joined the show. That means he was 21 when he made his feature film debut in 48 Hrs. alongside Nick Nolte. It blows my mind to think about how much fame and success Murphy achieved before his thirtieth birthday. The following films were released before he turned 30: 48 Hrs., Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, The Golden Child, Eddie Murphy: Raw, Beverly Hills Cop II, Coming to America, Harlem Nights (which is the only film he ever directed), and Another 48 Hrs. Not bad.
Now, because this whole post is an opinion piece, I’m going to speak my peace. I like Eddie Murphy. I find him to be funny, but he’s never been my favorite. I’m partial to Donkey because that was my first exposure to Murphy. I’m going to date myself, but I would have been two and a half years old when the first Shrek was released. I grew up with those movies. I had the original on VHS and saw each of the sequels in theaters and then owned them on DVD. Hell, when I was in second grade, I had one of those portable CD players. I had the Shrek soundtrack on CD. I listened to “Allstar” by Smash Mouth so many times that I played out the track. It would literally jump to the next track. I find it funny that “Allstar” was featured heavily in the little-seen comedy Mystery Men in 1999 and that the music video featured characters from the movie, yet the song is remembered almost exclusively from Shrek. I realize that was off-topic, but I wanted to bless you with that knowledge. Back to Murphy. It’s not just the nostalgia factor that elevates Shrek. The fact of the matter is, that even as an adult, Donkey is still a funny character.
Just because I’m partial to Donkey, doesn’t mean I don’t like any of his other roles or films. I enjoy 48 Hrs. and Trading Places. I may be the only one who prefers 48 Hrs. to Beverly Hills Cop. Then films like The Nutty Professor, Coming to America, or most recently Candy Cane Lane, I’ve found to be enjoyable. I also should mention my admiration for 2011’s Tower Heist. It’s very much an ensemble piece with Ben Stiller in the lead, but even though Murphy is taking a back seat, it doesn’t make him any less funny. Then, he’s been in some pretty abysmal movies like The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Meet Dave, and A Thousand Words. Most recently, he was in You People, starring alongside Jonah Hill, Nia Long, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. What could have been a biting satire of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner updated for 2023, instead turned into a cringe comedy free of genuine laughs. And as the father of Hill’s character’s girlfriend, Murphy is just plain unlikable.
I could go on exploring the highs and lows of Murphy’s career, but instead, I want to focus on one particular film, Dreamgirls. An adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway show had been in development hell for quite some time. After the success of What’s Love Got To Do With It, the film was reimagined with Lauryn Hill in the role of Deena and Kelly Price playing Effie. That version eventually fell apart. It wasn’t until the film adaptation of Chicago swept the box office and the Academy Awards, that talks began. Bill Condon, the screenwriter of Chicago, was signed to write and direct that adaptation, casting Beyonce as Deena and American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson as Effie. The film was rounded out with veteran actors Jamie Foxx, Danny Glover, and Murphy.
People always praise Jennifer Hudson for her portrayal of Effie, and it’s well deserved. She did win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, however, I think people forget just how powerful Murphy’s performance is. I’m generally not a fan of musicals (except for The Blues Brothers), but when I learned that this was Murphy’s only Academy Award-nominated performance, I knew I had to check it out. Very quickly, this became one of the few musicals I did like. I found the story to be engaging and the performances riveting. What I enjoyed most about the story, however, was the passage of time. Time is one of my favorite elements in storytelling. I love to see a story that takes place over many years and shows how characters change over time. Taking place in both the 60s and 70s, the character arcs of Deena, Effie, and Curtis Taylor Jr. (Foxx), come full circle. It also helps that the songs are so damn compelling and catchy. I watched this movie for the first time in April 2021, as I was finishing my undergrad in Chicago. This was one of the only films I purchased the soundtrack in its entirety on Apple Music. I was so enamored with the film and music, that it would not be an understatement to say that it was the soundtrack to my summer 2021.
Murphy doesn’t have a large role in the film. He’s got maybe twenty minutes of screen time in total, but he doesn’t waste a single moment, often stealing the show from his fellow actors. Murphy plays Jimmy “Thunder” Early, a popular soul singer whose manager brings in Deena, Effie, and Lorell (known as The Dreams) as backup singers. At the height of his fame, Jimmy begins a long-term affair with Lorell (Anika Noni Rose) and signs Taylor as his new manager. Eventually, The Dreams are spun off into their act, led by Deena’s vocals. As their fame rises and Jimmy’s begins to fade, he must adapt to the changing times. Ultimately, however, falls victim to addiction and the dark side of fame. As mentioned, Murphy’s not in many scenes, but when he is, he’s electric. There’s no other word I could use to describe him. He’s simply electric. Many people (myself included) probably forget that he had a bit of a singing career in the 80s, so it helps that he has the vocal skills to match the dramatic chops he demonstrates throughout.
In my opinion, the best acting Murphy ever committed to screen is the number, “Jimmy’s Rap.” As the sequence starts, Jimmy has been tapped to perform a love song at the tenth-anniversary celebration of Taylor’s record company. Before going on stage, Jimmy sees his wife in the audience, despite being with Lorell backstage. This leads to a lover’s quarrel, the answer to which, for Jimmy, is drugs. He goes on stage and begins to perform his love song as planned. As he sings, his eyes dart between his wife and Lorell. His wife catches his glimpses and exits the event. Midway through the song, Jimmy stops singing and instead begins an impromptu rap called “Jimmy Got Soul.” Throughout the rap, he slowly becomes unhinged, culminating in him dropping his pants at the end of the rap. Curtis immediately fires him and Lorell breaks up with him, sending him into a downward spiral. I’ve used this word before, but the sheer electricity of Jimmy’s vocal talents combine with deep pain and sadness to make this one of Murphy’s finest moments on film.
I think it’s worth noting that this film came at a pivotal point in his career. Leading up to this film, Murphy experienced a string of critical and commercial failures like Pluto Nash, I-Spy, Daddy Day Care, and The Haunted Mansion. The only film released in this period to be a hit was Shrek 2. Given his sometimes difficult reputation, I imagine it must have been difficult to eat a slice of humble pie and sign on to the film in such a small but crucial role. The decision was a wise one and Murphy was showered with accolades. He won the Golden Globe and SAG Awards for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for the Academy Award in the same category, though he infamously lost to Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine. In what appeared to be poor sportsmanship, Murphy left the ceremony after losing the award. I plan on writing a post on the times I thought the Oscars got it wrong, and this would certainly be on my list. Don’t get me wrong, Alan Arkin did a great job and was deserving of his nomination, and as much as I love Dreamgirls, I think Little Miss Sunshine is a better film as a whole. However, strictly comparing performances, I believe Murphy was robbed. I can’t say much else about Murphy’s performance. Go out and watch this movie. Even if you don’t care much for musicals, just go watch this movie. That’s all I have to say. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Check this out: Eddie Murphy (Jimmy Early) – Jimmy Got Soul (scene from DREAMGIRLS) HQ
