Has Any Comedic Actor Ever Come Close To 80s Eddie Murphy?

[Cena's Little Helper]

From 1982 to 1989, Eddie Murphy starred in 9 films. Three of these films (Best Defense, Beverly Hills Cop II, and Harlem Nights) are either completely forgettable, terribly mediocre, or both. However, let's take a look at his other six films:

1) 48 Hours: Borderline classic comedy.

2) Trading Places: BIG TIME classic comedy.

3) Beverly Hills Cop: BIG TIME classic comedy.

4) The Golden Child: Originally a flop, but now a cult classic.

5) Eddie Murphy Raw: One of the greatest stand-up films ever made.

6) Coming To America: BIG TIME classic comedy.

Not only have most of these films stood the test of time, but I am now hard pressed to think of any other comedian who had an equally stellar streak in their career. Only three other comedians come to mind that one could make an argument for: Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, and Will Ferrell.

What say you, WZ bros and broettes? Has any other comedian ever had a decade as great as Eddie Murphy did in the 1980s? If so, why do you think that this is the case?

 

[Blade]

In terms of critical acclaim and being a box office draw, I don't really think anyone can come close to Murphy.

Adam Sandler has starred in so many bad movies. He makes money for sure, but he's one of the most hated actors in the world today. Will Ferrell has, quite simply, never made another movie as good as Anchorman. And I doubt he ever will at this point.

With that said, Jim Carrey's 90's run is quite incredible. Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, Liar Liar. The Cable Guy is very underrated. Plus, the Truman Show and Man on the Moon, while not comedic, are both great movies.

Although, I'm fairly surprised you didn't mention Bill Murray's 80's run. Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters and Scrooged. That is a very decent CV, and I still like Caddyshack more than anything Eddie Murphy is done. And that's coming from an Eddie Murphy fan.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Jim Carrey is the only reasonable argument.

With The Mask, Ace Ventura, and Dumber & Dumber, Carrey pulled off three consecutive hits, but he's too streaky. It's been that way for years now, and The Number 23 was a disastrous setback for Carrey's career.

Adam Sandler had the potential to be something years ago, but he sacrifices quality for laziness and big box office paydays with the same old tired routine.

Will Ferrell? I agree with Blade. In the grand scheme of things, he's a one-trick pony with Ron Burgundy. Anchorman was good, and Anchorman 2 was a surprisingly satisfying sequel, but that's about it. The rest of his films are solid, mediocre (Semi-Pro is a close pick for unbearably awful), or forgettable at best.

Murphy had an incredible run in the 80's, but for me, it's bittersweet, when you consider his horrific downfall after Beverly Hills Cop III, an easy top ten pick for one of the worst sequels ever made. And A Thousand Words is a potential nail in the coffin for a comeback run. It's a shame, because Murphy is hilarious in Tower Heist.

 

[Danger Burger]

I'm not a big fan of the guy, but I could maybe see an arguement being made for some of the fresher guys like Seth Rogan maybe? Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express, Zack and Miri, Kung Fu Panda, 50/50, This is the End? They were all pretty popular as far as I could tell.

For each of the guys offered in the OP, I find their lesser comically based films to be my favourite. I thought Man on the Moon was great for Carrey, Reign Over Me for Sandler, and Stranger than Fiction for Ferrell. All three blew me away.

 

[Lowdown]

Harlem Nights was very underrated. I'd take that over Golden Child anytime. But I'm gonna go backwards a little bit. I think John Belushi was on his way to being the "It" guy in comedy films before his death in 1982. Animal House and The Blues Brothers are classics, and he was hilarious in 1941. And like Murphy and Bill Murray he was a staple on SNL mainly in its infant years. If he'd been alive during the 80's I think Belushi would've been exposed to an even bigger audience.

 

[mikeyboy]

I enjoyed Murphy's stand up comedy and his time on SNL much more than i did his movies , my two favorite films of his were Harlem nights and Life with Coming to america and Golden child being next in line , i never cared for the Beverley hills cop movies , his movies since the 90's have been more family oriented and while decent films they are not my cup of tea.
IMO Bill Murray had the best movies , meatballs , Stripes and Ghostbusters are 3 of my all time favorite comedies. I enjoy most of Adam Sandlers movies , Wedding singer , Big daddy and The water boy being my favorites of his.

 

[#tamale]

I agree with most of the overall opinions posted. Some other guys had potential, but no one rode that wave like Eddie Murphy. Between box office and critical reception, not too many can touch Eddie.

However, I will go a different route in that Larry David can make a claim to major success. Eddie's run is stellar, but Larry's is consistent. For twenty years or so, Larry David's talents in Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm have led to major success both in the critical and commercial department.

 

[Mustang Sally]

The Golden Child: Originally a flop, but now a cult classic.

Never understood why that movie was originally considered a dog. I thought it had a solid storyline to which the action remained true, some terrific supporting characters.....and was funny as hell. While the film was written to make the best use of Murphy's talents, I admit thinking he was a little too "Kevin Costner-ish" in that he portrayed an almost perfect man; one who was so superior to everyone else around him that he came off as non-believable. Still, the movie and his performance were unique.....and I like that.

To the question at hand: how about Will Ferrell and the decade he's having now? He comes off as an unlikely subject to be starring in all these movies, but like Eddie Murphy, he's being cast well. That Talledega thing, the ice skating movie (now there was a plot idea) and his cameo in "Wedding Crashers" are all part of an amazing run for an otherwise nondescript actor, no?

 

[JGlass]

I'm surprised people are dismissing Farrell, but I suspect that's because they're looking at percentage rather than gross volume. Sure, Farrell has been in his fair share of bombs, but for every bad role he's had, he's had two good ones. He's been in several classic comedies of the 2000's including Anchorman, Old School, Zoolander, and depending who you ask, Taladega Nights. He had small, but very funny roles in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Austin Powers, and he's appeared in several hit television shows in terrific roles, specifically The Office and Eastbound and Down. That's not to mention that he put in work at SNL for seven years (to Eddie Murphy's four) and is probably one of the all time funniest comedians to be on that program.

So if we give Eddie Murphy a seven year window of greatness, I'm going to say Farrell's was between 2003-2010.

• Old School- Classic comedy of the 2000s
• Elf- A new classic Christmas movie (I believe USA shows it for 24 hours on Christmas)
• Anchorman- Classic comedy of the 2000s
• Taladega Knights- Arguably a classic comedy of the 2000s
• Stranger Than Fiction- Underrated movie, Roger Ebert gave Farrell high praise for his performance.
• Step Brothers- Very good comedy
• The Other Guys- Very good comedy
• Megamind- Very good comedy

So Murphy has three classic comedies, a borderline classic comedy, and a classic standup in his window. Farrell has two classic comedies, a borderline classic comedy, a classic Christmas movie, and several other very good films that, while not quite classics, were certainly major comedies when they were released.

4 great films and a classic standup vs. 4 great films and a bevy of other films that were very good. Seems like they're about even. At the very least, they're close.

 

[jmt225]

How about Bill Murray in the 80's?

Caddyshack - Classic, true Comedy film GOAT contender from a lot of fans and critics alike.

Stripes - Classic.

Scrooged - Not a classic but very well liked.

Ghostbusters - Of course, true classic.

Ghostbusters II - One of the few sequels that live up to the original.

These five films were all huge box office successes and 4 of them are highly regarded as some of the greatest comedy films ever made. Let's not forget that Meatballs came out right before 1980, which is another classic (also his last year on SNL was in 1980).

I'd take all of these over Eddie Murphy's stuff, although of course Bill Murray doesn't have a stand-up classic to his name, which I agree Tdigs that Raw is the greatest stand-up special in history. However, film wise, Eddie's films aren't touching Bill Murray's films from the 80's if you ask me.

 

[Lowdown]

One of the things to keep in mind about Eddie Murphy, he was very high profile during the '80's. He was to movies what Michael Jackson and Prince was to music (Murphy dabbled in music as well). He was putting a movie out just about every year between 82 and 90. Not to mention he was over exposed being seen with the likes of the aforementioned celebrities.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Eddie Murphy is my all time favorite comedian bar none. He made tons of classic comedies but for myself his run on SNL was some of my favorite all time television, James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub Party, Mr. Robinsons Neighborhood and of course "Buh Weet has been shot!". When he hit the 90's and went family friendly I didn't enjoy him nearly as much but then again it was the time frame he made his most dough.

Overall there are a few you could argue with probably Will Ferrell coming the closest with his late 90's-mid 2000's run where he put out plenty of hilarious comedies that did very well (I think I saw Old School 5 times in the theatre alone). I'm a fan of both guys but in terms of success and overall hilarity I gotta put Eddie Murphy above anyone else whether it be Bill Murray, Jim Carrey or Adam Sandler.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

With that said, Jim Carrey's 90's run is quite incredible. Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, Liar Liar. The Cable Guy is very underrated. Plus, the Truman Show and Man on the Moon, while not comedic, are both great movies.

Jim Carrey was my immediate thought on this, and is one of the only comedy actors who can come close to Murphy's record. To this day I still class Ace Ventura Pet Detective one of the funniest films I have ever seen, and films like The Mask, The 2nd Ventura film and Dumb and Dumber were all big successes. Carrey hasn't been as successful in recent years, with only Bruce Almighty and Yes Man being moderate hits but in the 90s he had alot of very popular movies.

 

[InsomniaMusic]

From 1982 to 1989, Eddie Murphy starred in 9 films. Three of these films (Best Defense, Beverly Hills Cop II, and Harlem Nights) are either completely forgettable, terribly mediocre, or both. However, let's take a look at his other six films:

1) 48 Hours: Borderline classic comedy.

2) Trading Places: BIG TIME classic comedy.

3) Beverly Hills Cop: BIG TIME classic comedy.

4) The Golden Child: Originally a flop, but now a cult classic.

5) Eddie Murphy Raw: One of the greatest stand-up films ever made.

6) Coming To America: BIG TIME classic comedy.

Not only have most of these films stood the test of time, but I am now hard pressed to think of any other comedian who had an equally stellar streak in their career. Only three other comedians come to mind that one could make an argument for: Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, and Will Ferrell.

What say you, WZ bros and broettes? Has any other comedian ever had a decade as great as Eddie Murphy did in the 1980s? If so, why do you think that this is the case?

Harlem Nights is not forgetable or horrible.
Just by the power of the actors involved alone make that a classic

I think Sandler comes close Jim Carey also They all come sketch comedy shows

 

[IT Factor]

To answer the original question, I believe the only person to even give Eddie a run for his money would be Jim Carrey. He has really funny movies like Ace Ventura, The Mask, The Cable Guy, and Dumb & Dumber but also has great dramatic movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Murphy's run during the 80s was unparalleled and maybe only rivaled by the success that Bill Murray had in the 80s.

I don't think anyone can ever beat Eddie Murphy though in comedy. Hardly ever do you get that many good comedies and also a successful stand-up[Eddie Murphy: RAW] also with an impressive run on SNL. It is just impossible to do all of that and do well in each like Eddie did. Sandler was the only person that came close in doing that, but his stuff is mostly hit-or-miss. Don't Mess with the Zohan! That's all I'm sayin.....

 

[spg]

Hmmmm. This depends what you are looking for. Eddie is by far and away the best in the late 80's early 90's. I learned from Eddie, Richard Pryor and so forth. I love Sandler and ferell(might or might not be the right spelling). Stupid comedy rules, it's not trying to be smart, it's trying to tell you a good story while tugging at your heart. It's simplistic, it's story telling, if they actually meant this Bryan story(which I don't think they did). It's the smartest story telling they've ever done. But they got pushed to it.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

1) 48 Hours: Borderline classic comedy.

2) Trading Places: BIG TIME classic comedy.

3) Beverly Hills Cop: BIG TIME classic comedy.

4) The Golden Child: Originally a flop, but now a cult classic.

5) Eddie Murphy Raw: One of the greatest stand-up films ever made.

6) Coming To America: BIG TIME classic comedy.

I remember when Murphy was the man. He was Mr. Box office, even though BHC II wasn't as good, it still made over 150+ million at the box office. 48 Hours, Trading places, etc., he just couldn't miss. I was too young to see his concert films but when I did see Raw, I loved it. Murphy's films hit that 100 million mark when films that made that amount were rare. His name was guaranteed money. How times have changed. Now the work he does is hit or miss and for the most part miss at the box office. Amazing how the big can fall.

I think Bill Murray was very underrated at that time (and now for that matter), but he sort of got overshadowed by the box office tallies of other films. The closest was Carrey, I agree. he was a big deal after Ventura and the Mask, I believe he started asking for the 20 million salary per film.