6/21/2023 0 Comments Eddie murphy boomerang![]() On behalf of my movie-making brothers and sisters, and all actors of color, I must say that Hollywood is finally-although slowly-opening its eyes to the great, diverse pool of black talent. African-American filmmakers such as Spike Lee, Reginald and Warrington Hudlin, Robert Townsend, Keenen Ivory Wayans, John Singleton, Julie Dash and Matty Rich have been able to have their stories told and receive the recognition they so justly deserve. Since that interview was published, there have been some positive strides made in the movie industry. My hope at that time-and it is just as strong, if not stronger, today-was that black artists be appreciated in Hollywood as much as white artists. Whatever he was thinking during the dark days of his career slump, it seems to have paid off handsomely.In an interview published almost three years ago, I mentioned I had a dream regarding black artists. To work, they needed a mastery of light comedy, and Murphy has it here. The plot of "Boomerang" reminded me most of those tables-are-turned 1950s executive suite comedies that used to star people like Rosalind Russell. And Holder is the director who makes some of the most inappropriate commercials in television history.īoth Givens and Berry are right for their roles, Givens as the kind of maneater who uses traditionally male strategies with great carnal delight, Berry so warm and charming you want to cuddle her.īut the real surprise of the movie is Eddie Murphy, who finds his character and stays with him. Jones plays a supermodel named Strange who arrives at a product introduction cracking a whip while four half-nude bodybuilders pull her chariot. Kitt is Lady Eloise, aging figurehead of a cosmetics conglomerate, who is sex-mad in her 70s and sees Murphy as the prize she wins for taking over his company. Many of them come from an odd but brilliantly cast trio of key supporting actors: Eartha Kitt, Grace Jones and Geoffrey Holder. The movie was directed by Reginald Hudlin and coproduced by his brother, Warrington they made the original, inspired " House Party." Here, with a larger budget, they show the same gift for funny one-liners that strike out of the blue. By this time, Murphy has been so thoroughly traumatized and enlightened by the Givens episode that he knows how to do all the right things. Eventually one night, Murphy and Berry realize they're in love. She dates Murphy's best friend, but there are no sparks, and they keep insisting they're "just friends" even though everyone believes them the first time. The subplot, predictable but enjoyable all the same, involves another woman in the same firm, played by Halle Berry. As Givens seduces Murphy, dumps him, picks him up again, casts him away again, the whole demeanor of his character changes he loses the bouncy step and the selfconfident chuckle, and begins to hang his head and drag his feet. The story for "Boomerang" is credited to Murphy, who may have seen this story as an amends after "Harlem Nights," a shockingly sexist movie that included one scene where the Murphy character shot a woman dead while she was making love to him. ![]() ![]() He seduces them and dumps them with no compassion, until one day a female executive ( Robin Givens) becomes his boss, and starts treating him in exactly the same way. In the movie, he's Marcus Graham, a top executive in a cosmetics company, whose free time is spent in the tireless pursuit of women. It shows a kinder, gentler, funnier Eddie Murphy than we've seen in recent years - a comic actor who can go for the little laughs as well as the big ones, and build a character at the same time. If that was the case, then "Boomerang," Murphy's new movie, is powerful evidence that he's back on track. ![]()
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