Being Eddie: A Glint of Glory Amid Mundanity
Step into the world of Eddie Murphy, where laughter echoes like a long-lost melody, but don’t expect the raucous roar of his stand-up to fill the air. Netflix’s new documentary, Being Eddie, dances the delicate line between homage and reality check, revealing the man behind the laughs-a 64-year-old veteran charting a course through both nostalgia and the mundane. While it may not be his best work, it’s a colorful justification for that jaw-dropping $70 million production deal, one that fans hope might ignite his long-awaited return to stand-up-especially after a quarter-century since that iconic 1987 special, Raw.
From the eerie, lavish shots of his sprawling gothic mansion with a retractable roof (yes, darling, we see you living large!), Murphy tries to prime us for the relatability aspect, claiming his daily grind isn’t so different from ours. Family time, work, and, wait for it, a guilty pleasure of MTV’s Ridiculousness—which he hilariously elevates to avant-garde art-seems to overshadow the glittering accolades of his illustrious career. Oh, the irony!
Director Angus Wall, who has an Oscar glimmering on his shelf, weaves in commentary from comedy maestros like Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock, who revere Murphy as if he’s a comedic Moses. Yet, one has to raise an eyebrow when these giants seem a bit out of touch while hobnobbing for their hero.
Murphy’s candid moments reveal layers beneath his public persona. He recounts childhood woes-his parents’ civil wars, the whiplash ascent to heartthrob status, and that infamous media spat with Richard Pryor. Wall’s ingenious armchair psychology connects Murphy’s altruistic gestures-like funding funerals for friends-to deeper rifts from his own family’s tragic losses. It’s raw, and not always pretty.
Yet, for all the soul-baring moments, there’s a glaring absence of scandal, like that infamous 1997 arrest involving a trans prostitute or his tempestuous relationship with Spice Girl Mel B. Juicy nuggets like these remain unexamined, leaving the viewer yearning for more spice.
As the film wraps up, it teases Murphy’s potential return to stand-up with a cheeky gift of ventriloquist dolls mimicking Pryor and Bill Cosby. The clock is ticking, Eddie; it’s time to stop the tease and bring back the belly laughs we’ve all been craving. In Being Eddie, we glimpse a legend both celebrated and shrouded in unanswered questions-one thing’s for sure: the journey is as riveting as the destination.
Original Story https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/12/being-eddie-review-netflix-doumentary
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