Summary
- Eddie Murphy has faced extensive criticism from critics throughout his career.
- Murphy believes that the audience's reception and their willingness to spend money on his films are more important than critical reviews.
- He has a strong sense of self-assuredness and does not feel the need to analyze or pay attention to what critics say.
With over fifty films in his repertoire, a career spanning decades, and a slew of accolades to his name, Eddie Murphy is one of the most accomplished actors of his generation. Despite these successes, Murphy isn't what you'd call a critical darling.
Though his recent resurgence with hits like Dolemite is My Name and Coming 2 America has been met with resounding critical approval, there was a time when Murphy just couldn't catch a break when it came to critical panning.
So severe and rampant was the criticism, the father of ten even retired from acting for nearly a decade. Here’s what the now 62-year-old thinks of his once antagonistic relationship with the critics.
Eddie Murphy’s Films Have Been Poorly Rated By Critics
Bursting onto the comedy scene as a regular on SNL, Eddie Murphy was initially beloved by critics and fans alike. The now 62-year-old’s big screen debut, 48 Hrs, not only received resounding critical acclaim but also raked in a staggering $78.9 million at the box office.
However, Murphy’s winning streak didn’t last long. By the time the 90s rolled on, the critics had all but turned on him. The critical panning hit an all-time high with the release of Beverly Hills Cop III; the underwhelming threequel to his 1984 commercial and critical masterpiece, Beverly Hills Cop.
“When he spews out lines in a rapid-fire bluster or stretches his mouth into that big, horsey grin, you don’t quite believe that he wants to do it,” Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman wrote of the film.
“It’s just a job now, a blockbuster obligation; the joyless proficiency with which he goes through the motions is depressing to behold. If anything, he looks vaguely bored, as though the very act of telling a joke were now beneath him.”
The next decade saw Murphy star in a string of family-friendly films, some of which, aside from getting chastised by critics, also performed miserably on the commercial front.
By the time the 2010’s drew to a close, Murphy, having clinched a whopping five Golden Raspberry nominations, had clearly had enough of the widespread criticism, and promptly took a step back from acting.
“I had stopped making movies in 2011,” he recalled during an interview with Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. “Because I was making these sh***y movies, and it was like, ‘This sh** ain’t fun.’ They giving me Razzies; I think these motherf***ers gave me the Worst Actor Ever Razzie.”
Eddie Murphy Has A Brutally Honest Explanation For Why His Movies Have Been So Poorly Rated By Critics
Eddie Murphy has never been one to mince words, especially when it comes to his perspective on critics. Speaking to Interview Magazine in 2011, Murphy gave his candid opinion on why his films have been so heavily chastised by critics.
“There’s always been a lot of negative stuff written about me,” he said. “That’s why I don’t pay any attention to the critics. They’ve never liked anything I’ve done.”
Using his widely panned 1986 film, Golden Child, as an example, the Coming 2 America star went on to point out that audience reception, rather than critical performance, is the true measure of a film’s success.
“Well, they really came down on Golden Child. But you know who my critics are? The audience,” he said. “They came out and spent $70 million to see Golden Child. So what do the critics know? It’s the way the audience reacts that matters. I just don’t have any use for critics. They just sit back and tell you that what you do is wrong.”
Murphy also seemed to be of the opinion that it’s not really within a critic’s power to judge how well his films connect with audiences. “I just don’t go along with the whole critic’s thing of trying to analyze what this is and what it’s not and why it’s not funny,” he said. “Something is funny when people laugh at it. And when they don’t, it’s not.”
Why Eddie Murphy Doesn’t Pay Attention To Poor Reviews From Critics
Though heavy critical panning once led to a significant downturn in his career, Eddie Murphy chooses not to pay attention to the critics. Speaking to Interview Magazine in 2011, the Trading Places star disclosed that his craft is too rooted is self-assuredness to benefit from critical opinion.
“I think I have enough of a sense to know what works for me and what doesn’t, without going into some big thing and analyzing what I do,” he said. “I’m in a position that allows me to do what I want to do, and I do it.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Murphy expressed his frustration over critics who attempt to dissect his works without truly understanding his motivations or inspiration.
“How can they fix their mouths to say some of the stuff they say about me? They don’t know why I do what I do,” he said. “So why do I need what they say about me? That guy from Time [Richard Corliss] had a good line about me in Golden Child. He said I was trying to be the Indiana Jones of funk. I liked that. But mostly I don’t see that they understand much of what I’m about.”
In a separate interview with RollingStone, Murphy explained why he couldn’t care less about the once-prevailing opinion that he doesn’t challenge himself enough.
“I’m never gonna go, “I want to do this role because it’s a challenge. I might not be able to pull it off, that’s why I’m excited about doing it.” For someone to sit on the outside, talking about, “They need to push themselves,” it’s so ridiculous. Push myself? I’ve had a whole f***ing career already, these are the gravy years. I have more than distinguished myself in the movie business.”
