Eddie Murphy

A staple of American comedy since the 1970s has been the “Saturday Night Live” film where cast members from the famed sketch comedy show hit the big screen with varying success levels.  The early cast members had two names involved:  Ivan Reitman, who generally stayed with Bill Murray movies, and John Landis.  Landis directed “Animal House” and made John Belushi the hottest star at the time.  He directed “The Blues Brothers” with Belushi and Dan Aykroyd (who was supposed to be in “Animal House with Chevy Chase” but that’s another story).   Animal House was the biggest mone

There was a time when Eddie Murphy was the single most talented new force in film. Although not my absolute favorite Eddie Murphy film, “Beverly Hills Cop” remains a great example of a film that is absolutely nothing without its star.

As the story goes, “Beverly Hills Cop” wasn’t even supposed to be a comedy. Picture Sylvester Stallone as Axel Foley.

Sly went on to do “Cobra” and the studio brought in Eddie Murphy, saving about $10 million and grossing over $150 million more in box office receipts.