Eddie Murphy Ranked

Welcome to the latest edition of "Ranked"-where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out related accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of Eddie Murphy-whose latest project "Coming 2 America" premieres on Amazon Prime Video this Friday.

Eddie Murphy's Filmography Ranked:

23.The Adventures of Pluto Nash (D-)

22.Vampire in Brooklyn (D-)

21.Norbit (D)

20.The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (C-)

19.Dr. Doolittle 2 (C-)

18.The Haunted Mansion (C)

17.Meet Dave (C)

16.Daddy Day Care (C)

15.Shrek 2 (C+)

14.The Nutty Professor (C+)

13.Dr. Doolittle (C+) 

12.48 Hrs. (B-)

11.Life (B-)

10.Bowfinger (B-)

9.I-Spy (B)

8.Beverly Hills Cop II (B)

7.Mulan (B)

6.Trading Places (B)

5.Tower Heist (B+)

4.Coming to America (B+)

3.Beverly Hills Cop (B+)

2.Shrek (B+)

1.Dolemite is My Name (A)

Top Dog: Dolemite is My Name (2019)

It's not exactly a controversial take to say that Murphy's filmography isn't full of beloved classics. Fan favorites such as Coming to America and Trading Places are largely outnumbered by heavily disliked or forgotten titles like Norbit, Vampire in Brooklyn and Harlem Nights. So when he starred in a film that not only used his comedic gifts and charisma, but showed off his long-hidden range as an actor was a major blessing for an electric performer who has had far too few success stories in the world of cinema. Dolemite is My Name-which details Rudy Ray Moore's (Murphy) long journey to breakthrough in showbusiness-is a warm, vibrant and routinely hilarious underdog story as well as a heartfelt love letter to the manic brand of DIY independent filmmaking that made the Blaxploitation movement that spawned cult classics like Dolemite possible. 

Lowlight: The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)

Whoever decided to fork over $100 million for The Adventures of Pluto Nash to be made must've had some hardcore buyer's remorse. There's such a lack of functional jokes and tangible effort from everyone involved in this notorious sci-fi comedy bomb that Randy Quaid's fittingly robotic performance as Pluto Nash's aging android best friend ends up going down as the movie's de facto strongest asset.  

Most Overrated: 48 Hrs. (1982)

A combination of some jokes that haven't aged well and the merely functional hardo/loudmouth odd couple dynamic between Murphy and Nick Nolte is enough to put 48 Hrs. well below many of the other iconic buddy action comedies that came out of the 80's (Lethal Weapon, Midnight Run, Tango & Cash).

Most Underrated: Tower Heist (2011)

Disgraced director Brett Ratner is a piece of garbage whose work I'll never revisit again, but I can't pretend that I didn't enjoy most of the movies he put out before his career got derailed in 2017 following a string of sexual assault and harassment allegations being brought upon him. Driven by an appealing combination of likable protagonists, some big laughs (mainly provided by Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Gabourey Sidibe and Michael Pena) and a clever central heist, Tower Heist manages to deliver non-stop entertainment in a slick 90-minute package.     

Favorite Piece of Childhood Nostalgia That Almost Certainly No One Else Shares: I-Spy (2002)

Sometime in early-to-mid December 2002, my dad took me to a second run theater in Danvers, Massachusetts called Hollywood Hits (RIP) to go see the Murphy/Owen Wilson action comedy extravaganza I-Spy during the final days of its uneventful box office run (it grossed just $33.6 mil in the States). Unlike many of the other people that ventured out to see I-Spy including my dad, 10-year old me was nothing short of delighted by all of the espionage action and the assorted quips Murphy and Wilson made while engaging in said espionage action. While there's a very strong chance I would like I-Spy less now than I did then (I have the DVD on hand, so maybe I'll test that theory out one of these days), the thick cloud of positive childhood memories from the few times I watched it between 2002 and 2005 remain strong enough for me to continue to view it in a positive light as an adult.   

Most Stunning Collective Failure: Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)

Murphy, Angela Bassett, John Witherspoon and Wes Craven teaming up for a horror comedy should've resulted in something really fun, but instead Vampire in Brooklyn proves to be a painful slog that is derailed by its distracting serious/campy dark comedy tonal limbo and Murphy turning in a shamelessly phoned-in performance as the titular vampire.