In the 80’s Eddie Murphy was AWESOME. Many folks on this board are likely to young to remember, but he was insanely funny on Saturday Night Live. Trading Places and 48 hours are both masterpieces. There are so many amazingly funny lines and he was hilarious. Beverly Hills Cop wasn’t quite on the same level but still pretty funny. His standup was unfortunately marred by some nasty homophobia (especially Raw) but in Delirious it was insanely funny.
And then somewhere it turned into nutty professor and norbit and just stuff that I couldn’t imagine watching. He was pretty good in Dreamgirls but that was surprising and refreshing–to me at least–exactly because all his roles for a long time had been so bad. Ok, I guess he was pretty good in Shrek.
Are there any other comedians who drifted so far from their original, edgy roots?
It depends what you mean by falling. Do we mean “This guy used to be great, in my opinion, but now I think he sucks, even if he’s raking in tons of money?” I mean, Eddie Murphy may not be your cup of tea any more, but he’s stilling making $20 million a picture. I wish I could “fall” that far.
Or does it mean, “Good or bad, this guy was HUGE, immensely popular, and now you won’t find anybody who’ll admit ever liking him?”
If it’s the latter, well, Andrew Dice Clay used to fill hockey arenas, and now? He couldn’t fill a phone booth.
I give you Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip as a counterexample. Pryor’s acting roles never lived up to the heights of his pure comedy. Yeah, drugs and MS took him out of the game at the end, but he did profoundly great material before that.
Seconded on Chevy Chase.
Qadgop, I was going to mention Fatty Arbuckle, but I thought he was too obscure. I love this board!
Most of them, really. Since the element of surprise is so important in comedy, most comedians realize a period of success, followed by a longer period of “has-been” status. They may remain popular for a long time, but most people don’t consider the vast majority of older, established comedians capable of producing truly great material. If you know Dangerfield’s schtick, it isn’t as funny as the first time you saw him. Ditto Bob Hope, the Three Stooges, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, George Carlin, Chevy Chase, etc., etc., etc. Comedy evolves, and it is very difficult for anyone to stay fresh for long periods of time.
Hell, is there anybody who got their big break on SNL who doesn’t fit this pattern? It seems like every breakout star from the show is hilarious for a few seasons on SNL, then jumps into moves that become increasingly dreck. In addition to the already mentioned Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, and Steve Martin, I’d add Dan Akroyd, Joe Piscopo, Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, and Will Ferrell.
The only former cast member that I can think of who has avoided this fate is Bill Murray, who was well on his way to washed up when got a second wind by taking more dramatic or offbeat comic roles in Wes Anderson movies.
I don’t include Steve Martin–I think he found his comedy niche AFTER his career in stand up. He’s a good writer, too–he writes for the New Yorker and I usually enjoy his pieces. YMMV.
Eddie Murphy is an embarrassment–surely we have other standards than “well, he makes a ton of money”? He went from snappy, pithy in your face social commentary comedy to fart jokes.
I’d say Dan Ackroyd, Rosie, the one who had her own sitcom–cannot recall her name–she starred in a movie with Meryl Streep. Anyway, her. Chevy Chase (never liked him much). The sad thing is, with the exception of Eddie Izzard and Chris Rock, I haven’t seen any huge comedians (stand up)–perhaps the Golden Days of Stand Up are passed?
I’ll throw him in here because I used to work with him at the local pizza place: Paul Gilmartin(not that he was ever a big name). He had a show, “Dinner and a Movie” on cable for a bit. No idea where he is now. He did stand up in Vegas for awhile. He wasn’t fun to work with at the pizza place…
I love Steve Martin’s non-comedy stuff. And I actually got a kick out of the one with him and Queen Latifah (who I just adore). Any time Steve Martin dances, I’m laughing.
Robin Williams does a good job in his serious stuff as well. But the one with the RV was hideous. Almost unwatchable. I stayed with it to the end hoping it would redeem itself, but day-um that was a crappy movie, through and through.
Eddie Murphy seems to be in a “fast money for alimony/child support” mode. I think he’s hilarious, but he seems to be in it for the dough at this point.
I’ll third this: Steve Martin’s a great writer with a sense of humor that veers between deadpan and absurdist. His earlier standup, straight-up absurdism, is great, and his middle stuff in which he lost his voice is awful, but what he’s doing now is pretty damn good.
