American actor Eddie Murphy is to be awarded the 2015 Mark Twain Prize for American Humour, considered the highest honour the US presents for services to comedy.
Murphy is the first major movie star to receive the accolade, which was first awarded to the late stand-up comedian Richard Pryor in 1998. Since then, it has been collected by such stars as Will Ferrell, Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, Steve Martin, and Tina Fey, the youngest ever recipient at the age of 40.
“I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition from the Kennedy Center and to join the distinguished list of past recipients of this award,” the 54-year-old actor said in a statement on his website.
Best known these days for his roles his beloved box-office hits, Murphy started his career as a stand-up comic and appeared on the seminal sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live. The actor recently returned to the NBC show, making a cameo appearance on its 40th anniversary episode in February, describing it as a “magical experience.”
SNL would act as a stepping stone to a career as a bankable box-office draw in the 1980s, where Murphy turned his edgy humour, quick wit, and fearless energy to front hugely successful feature films. But his career has not been without some very notable flops, and he hasn’t had a commercial or critical success since his was nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at the Oscars for his turn in the 2006 musical Dreamgirls.
So the question stands, is Eddie Murphy really all that funny? Newstalk producer John Fardy made the case for Murphy on this evening’s The Right Hook, as he tried to convince guest host Shane Coleman that there’s still some life in the anarchic comedian’s career yet.
You can listen back to the show via the podcasts or the Android, Windows or iOS apps.
Here are five of Murphy’s best and five of his worst comedic movies...
Best: Bowfinger (1999)
Playing dual roles in this satire of Hollywood movie making, written by co-star Steve Martin, Murphy plays an egomaniacal superstar and his dim-witted twin brother.
Worst: The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
Notorious as one of the most expensive flops of all time, the sci-fi spoof spent two years on the shelf before it was finally released to audiences, who showed very little interest in the bum-note jokes in a nightclub on the moon.
Best: Shrek (2001)
Murphy’s voice work as Donkey on the DreamWorks’ blockbuster that turned fairytale tropes upside down helped turn the studio into a creative force to be reckoned with, and gave him one of the most successful franchises of his career.
Worst: A Thousand Words (2012)
As an actor well-loved for his verbal wit, casting him in a role that requires him to remain silent (in an already dismal comedy) was never a good idea. Chances are you’ve never even heard of it.
Best: Coming to America (1988)
Directed by John Landis, the charming comedy see Murphy play an African prince on the quest to find love when he immigrates to the US and takes a job in a fast food restaurant.
Worst: Norbit (2007)
Coming out just as his Oscar campaign was starting, many blame this raunchy and humourless vanity vehicle for Murphy not winning for Dreamgirls. Once again donning prosthetics to play multiple roles, the role of Rasputia is considered one of the most offensive stereotypes of African American culture ever committed to celluloid.
Best: Trading Places (1983)
The biting satire on the American dream co-starred another 1980s’ SNL alumnus in Dan Aykroyd, and updated ‘The Prince and the Pauper’ fairytale with edgy and raunchy humour as a social experiment goes wrong in the funniest ways possible.
Worst: Meet Dave (2008)
Miniature aliens come to Earth in a robot Eddie Murphy, directed by the same man who helmed Norbit. Universally panned by critics and ignored by audiences.
Best: Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
As Detroit cop Axel Foley, this fish-out-of-water comedy was a box office behemoth, beating both Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom as the highest grossing movie of the year. And deservedly, as a clever mix of action and comedy that charmed audiences everywhere.
Worst: Beverly Hills Cop III
The third and final collaboration between Murphy and Landis was doomed from the start, as the two were barely speaking to each other during production, and you know you're in trouble when the best remembered part is George Lucas' wooden cameo. Time will tell if the fourth Beverly Hills Cop instalment, due for release next year, can breathe life back into the series.
