moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (01/26/85)
Well, this is probably a little late... BEVERLY HILLS COP is
apparently the biggest box-office comedy of 1985 (anyone know if it
has beaten GHOSTBUSTERS?), and this makes it an interesting case study
in "What Makes America Laugh?" (much like "How Does America Spell
Relief?"). Well, it seems America laughs at a revamped TV script with
foul language inserted, and a comic who has a great deal of talent, but
continues to fritter it away on disappointing works, where he isn't
even allowed to work up a sweat in getting a laugh out of the audience.
I'm not sure I can knock Murphy... the few laughs I got out of this
were due to him, and I'm quite certain than no other comic could have
made those lines work. But, really, the screenwriters seem to be
moonlighting from writing Aaron Spelling TV cop shows. The opening
shots of the Detroit automobile assembly lines are either an ironic
coincidence, or a guilty screenwriter trying to tip audiences off
early. The murdered boyhood friend; the dumb out-of-town cops; the
grudging respect; the Disney-with-violence ending -- all could have
been taken from most 8-9pm Tube fare, except for what wouldn't get past
the censors. And the villain was strictly Mr. Big #2341 (collect them
all!) -- did he ever say anything like "I want him DEAD!" ? Maybe it
just seems that way... though no one really escapes the trap of playing
stereotyped images, even Murphy -- he's playing Saturday Night Live's
Eddie Murphy, switching roles, winking at the audience. If it was to
be a total spoof, then 80% of the "drama" should have been dropped; but
as comedy, it's Murphy playing to a stone wall (or, given the acting
ability of his co-stars, several stone walls).
To those of you trying to find a weekend movie, go see something else.
"Well, Penfold, it looks like we'll have to save the world again."
"Ooh, Ick..."
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
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