Boiling Point
Boiling Point: Less Eddie Murphy, More Originality
Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 7, 2008
Now as angry as I can get, I often try to direct it at general themes or movies rather than just a single individual. I also don’t want to just plainly retread over anything, so I’m sort of merging things. I’ve already demanded more originality from Hollywood (lets face it, that’s not coming) and I want to bash Eddie Murphy a little bit, so to soften the blow I’ve mixed them, because they’re really the same thing. If Hollywood gives me less Eddie Murphy, they would give me more originality.
I’m talking about Meet Dave. First of all, what the fuck is that shit? Mini-Eddie Murphy pilots big robo-Eddie Murphy? Isn’t that just combining The Nutty Professor or Norbit with Men in Black or something? Murphy used to be comedy gold, now he does the same schtick over and over again, namely “Look how many characters I can play!” Well I’m tired of it. Give me something new. And by new I don’t mean make him bigger or smaller or more robotic. Unfortunately there is a lot of this going around. They ol’ “stick (Noun) into this situation and have him do the same thing as in (Movie Title).” That fits any recent Eddie Murphy movie, but it also fits with other character-type actors like Larry the Cable Guy or Will Ferrell. Thankfully, Step Brothers looks to be a bit different, but I’m pretty sure Will Ferrell played the same character for like 5 movies in a row there.
Perhaps the guiltiest of all is Michael Meyers, who has somehow gotten away with playing Austin Powers about 6 times, which is amazing considering Austin Powers is just a rehash of his Saturday Night Live days. So you take this guy, who is just doing the same thing over and over again, and you drop him in a different sound stage. You put on a different coat. Switch out his leisure suit for a basketball jersey or his crushed velvet for a turban. Why?
If you really think a film merits a sequel, give it a damn sequel. Which you were probably going to do anyways! Like Anchorman. Funny. Next up, 3 Ron Burgundy movies where they just call him something else. Now we head back to calling him Ron Burgundy for the legitimate Anchorman sequel. It’s enough to boggle the mind. Really, I’m getting burnt out on these movies and I don’t even watch all of them. If I see Eddie Murphy playing 8 roles in the same film one more time, I’m going to lose it. Forget Beverly Hills Cop 4, something I may have had interest in, even if it is a cash-in decade late sequel. It’s like we’re in the galley of the Nebuchadnezzar and they keep feeding us gruel.
So maybe I’m the only one pulling my hair out over this, going crazy at the sight of a giant Eddie Murphy head full of little Eddie Murphys, but maybe I’m not. Maybe someone out there feels the same, maybe someone out there will not see this movie in a small act of defiance, begging for something new, surging past their boiling point, just like me. Amen.
Are you planning on seeing Meet Dave? What actors do you know of that keep playing the same role in different films?
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6 Comments
July 7th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Not planning on seeing Meet Dave at all. Doesn’t look any good, and I can’t stand Eddie Murphy. Give me Murphy back in his “Raw” days, and I’ll check it out. Family friendly Murphy is terrible.
As for actors playing the same role? Me and my brother came up for a term awhile back… “Dushku-ing”. The reason behind this is due to Eliza Dusku. Great looker, same character in every film/TV appearance. All she can do is play a variation of her Faith character from “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer”.
Bill Mosley is another who can be accused of “Dushku-ing”. His first appearance as Chop-Top in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2″ was fun. Then… he shows up in “House of 1000 Corpses” playing the same character, as well as “Devil’s Rejects” (just 2 of his more popular films). Sorry, but the guy has no range. Nice fella, but everytime I see him, I see a variation of Chop-Top.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:34 am
It’s actually just depressing to see the genius of Coming to America reduced to schlock like this. But isn’t it fantastic to finally realize that Charlie Murphy is the funnier of the two?
July 7th, 2008 at 11:02 am
No, I do not plan on seeing Meet Dave. In fact, with recent films like Meet The Spartans and Meet The Browns, I don’t plan on seeing ANY movie that asks me to “meet” anyone ever again.
Regarding role repeating actors, Denzel Washington is one of the worst offenders. He always plays a righteous defender of the people who seemingly lacks emotions for the first 90% of the movie, but spends the last 10% yelling some over-the-top monologue with tears in his eyes.
There are also actors like Shia LeBouf, Michael Cera, and Ben Stiller who manage to turn every character they play into a stutterer. If any of them could spit their lines out in one shot and make it seem like they actually looked at the script for more than 5 minutes, I’d be shocked.
And lastly, I’d love to see Bruce McGill (D-Day from Animal House) nowadays in a role where he doesn’t play a government agent of some kind.
July 7th, 2008 at 11:42 am
As far as people who play the same role in different films, Vince Vaughn. He has been the same character in every movie he has been in. I still enjoy it though.
July 7th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Lost me when you compared Will Ferrell to Larry the Freaking Cable Guy
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:39 pm
I’ve been thinking the exact thing. Eddie Murphy has brought shame to his name and to comedy movies as well. He’s made nothing but flops in a long time. Larry the Cable Guy is pathetic as well. I’ve been tortured with Health Inspector, Delta Farce, and now Witless Protection. The only thing I’ve liked him in was The Blue Collar Comedy Tour, well and Cars. Will Ferrell has been the same lately as well. I can’t stand watching him in comedies like Blades of Glory. Even Though I liked the movie. I want to see some variety.