Eddie Murphy Raw
Eddie Murphy Raw | |
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Directed by | Robert Townsend |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | Eddie Murphy |
Cinematography | Ernest Dickerson |
Edited by | Lisa Day |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $8 million[2] |
Box office | $50.5 million[3]($135 million in 2023 dollars)[4] |
Eddie Murphy Raw is a 1987 American
Plot
The film opens with a pre-taped sketch depicting a scene from Murphy's childhood. At a family Thanksgiving in November 1968, the children take turns showing their talents to the assembled relatives (including one played by Murphy himself). Young Eddie (Deon Richmond) shocks the family with a rude joke about a monkey and a lion. While the rest of the adults are shocked, his aunt and uncle are delighted and the uncle (Samuel L. Jackson) proclaims, "I love that doo-doo line. That boy's got talent!"
After emerging on stage for the live show, Murphy begins by discussing the angry reactions of celebrities parodied in his previous stand-up show,
Next comes a lengthy routine about dating and relationships. Murphy explains that the rise of deadly sexually transmitted infections has motivated him to seek marriage, but the divorce of Johnny Carson and Joanna Holland (in which she sought 50% of his assets) has left him paranoid about the financial risk of marriage, concluding that "no pussy is worth $150 million." He mocks the aggression and materialism of American women (compared to his belief in the meekness of Japanese women), referring to the popularity of Janet Jackson's song "What Have You Done for Me Lately." He jokes that he intends to go deep into Africa to find a "bush bitch" who has no concept of Western culture... at least until American women convince her to stand up for herself and demand "HALF!" This develops into a broader warning to men to avoid "the pussy trap," and a warning to women that men never remain faithful — once a man has evoked a powerful orgasm from a woman ("ooohhhh!") she will tolerate all kinds of misbehavior, although she may pursue infidelity of her own.
The next segment narrates a childhood memory of his mother promising to cook him a hamburger "better than McDonald's," only to produce an unappealing "big, welfare, green-pepper burger," a lump of beef filled with onion and green peppers on Wonder Bread (while the neighborhood children show off their McDonald's hamburgers in a call-back to the ice cream segment of Delirious), but he states that as an adult, he has more of an appreciation of the tastiness of his mom's homemade dish.
Murphy then talks about white people out on the town, criticizing their embarrassing dance moves, leading onto
After the fight, Murphy calls his parents, leading to a long impression of his drunken stepfather (another call-back to a popular bit from Delirious). This final segment runs for over ten minutes and incorporates his stepfather's habit of misquoting Motown songs (including "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", which opened the film).
Cast (opening segment)
- Eddie Murphy as himself
- Tatyana Ali as Eddie's sister (sketch)
- Deon Richmond as Little Eddie (sketch)
- Billie Allen as Eddie's aunt (sketch)
- James Brown IIIas Thanksgiving guest
- Michelle Davison as Thanksgiving guest
- Leonard Jackson as Uncle Gus (sketch)
- Samuel L. Jackson as Eddie's Uncle
- Warren Morris as Poetry reader
- Basil Wallace as Eddie's Father (sketch)
- Damien Wayans as Child running in the house
- Ellis E. Williams as Eddie's Uncle (sketch)
- Carol Woods as Eddie's Aunt
- Kim Wayans as Interviewed fan (uncredited)
Rating
The film was originally given an "X" rating by the MPAA, but several cuts from Murphy's performance were made to secure an "R" rating.[5]
Records
The film surpassed Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip as the highest grossing concert film with a gross of $50.5 million.[6][3]
The film contained the word "fuck" 223 times,
Critical reception
The New York Times praised Eddie Murphy's stand-up routine.[8][9][10][11]
Michael Wilmington of the
Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, later claimed to have drawn inspiration from Murphy's depiction of white people dancing in developing "The Carlton" for his character.[13]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 78% from 23 reviews with the consensus: "Like its title suggests, Eddie Murphy Raw is a searingly unbridled and viciously funny showcase from one of comedy's best."[14] Siskel and Ebert gave it a split-decision on their show.
See also
References
- ^ "Eddie Murphy Raw (18)". British Board of Film Classification. November 25, 1987. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ^ KLADY, LEONARD (January 8, 1989). "Box Office Champs, Chumps : The hero of the bottom line was the 46-year-old 'Bambi'". Retrieved July 12, 2017 – via LA Times.
- ^ a b "Eddie Murphy Raw". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "'RAW' BOILS WITH TYPICAL MURPHY WIT". December 22, 1987.
- ^ "'Raw' Passes 'Pryor' As Top Concrt Pic". Variety. January 13, 1988. p. 7.
- ^ "Freeze Frame: Suicide Kings". Familymediaguide.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (December 19, 1987). "'Eddie Murphy Raw'". The New York Times.
- ^ Patrizio, Andy (August 26, 2004). "Eddie Murphy Raw". Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ "Eddie Murphy Raw (1987)". September 15, 2004. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ "Eddie Murphy Raw". Entertainment Weekly. September 10, 2004. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Wilmington, Michael (December 21, 1987). "MOVIE REVIEW : Eddie Murphy Stands Up--In the 'Raw'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
- ^ Cooper, Daniel (February 15, 2019). "The 'Fortnite' Dance Lawsuits Are Close to Falling Apart". Entrepreneur.
- ^ "Eddie Murphy Raw". Rotten Tomatoes. January 1987.
External links
- Eddie Murphy Raw at IMDb
- Eddie Murphy Raw at Rotten Tomatoes