The
period of Eddie Murphy's career between Coming to America in 1987 and
The Nutty Professor in 1996 has always been
considered a darker period, with Murphy struggling to retain his superstar
status only to find commercial failure. While audiences generally dismiss
Murphy's output during this period as inconsequential, looking back in hindsight, some of these films represent his strongest work as a
leading man, even if they lacked the pizzazz and chutzpah of his work during the
early to mid-1980s.
By this point, people were unwilling to
accept Murphy in almost anything but wise-cracking comedies or semi-action
vehicles, leaving theaters showing more suave comedies like
The Distinguished Gentleman and Boomerang
mostly empty after the initial opening week. While Boomerang has
its share of problems, most notably in its excessive length and occasional dips
into needlessly cheap humor, it is also one of Murphy's most underrated of
films. With nearly perfect casting and refreshingly loose banter among the
players, it is clear that this is a film where the everyone had a good time making
it, and it shows in nearly every vibrant scene.
Murphy stars as advertising exec Marcus
Graham, successful at work, and in the bedroom. He has a reputation for
being a playboy, although he doesn't really want to be one -- he just seems to
lose interest after the relationships have been consummated. Due to a
recent merger, Murphy finds himself with a new boss, the sultry, intelligent
Jacqueline Broyer (Givens, Head of State),
every bit Marcus' equal in talent at work, and in the bedroom. Now that
he's found his match, Marcus also finds himself on the other end of the
relationship spectrum, falling for a woman that only uses him to have a good
time. Marcus doesn't know what to do about his newfound feelings of being
the submissive on in the relationship, leaving him as needy and confused as all
of the women he loved an left in a hurry.
Boomerang is director Reginald
Hudlin's sophomore effort after making a splash with the sleeper hit comedy,
House Party. As he did in that film, Hudlin
continues his trend of showcasing positive African-American characters, bucking the
typical Hollywood trend of sensationalized gangster melodramas whenever dealing
with predominantly Black casts. However, unlike House Party, which
tended to downplay overt messages about race, Boomerang has a few scenes
where it does become an issue. While these moments play for laughs, they
seem mostly gratuitous from a story standpoint, and weaken the focus whenever
they occur.
The real strength of the film lies in the
quality of the casting, with an eclectic mix of different personalities, with
each actor perfectly suited for his or her role. Murphy plays the playboy
role quite well, as does Givens as the strong vixen, Berry (Bulworth,
X-Men) as the vulnerable good girl, and Grier (Return
to Me, Bewitched) as the kind-hearted friend
of them all. However, the film's best lines graciously go to its supporting cast of
characters, with memorable appearances by uber-vamp Grace Jones (A View to a
Kill, Conan the Destroyer), sexy predator Eartha Kitt (Holes,
Erik the Viking), and smart jokes from comedians John Witherspoon (The
Ladies Man, Friday), Chris Rock (Beverly
Hills Ninja, Lethal Weapon 4) and Martin Lawrence
(Bad Boys, Life).
Credit Hudlin for being able to keep this impressive cast from running rampant
over the
movie's story, while also allowing them the freedom to adlib some choice
material to enhance the overall flavor.
As a romantic comedy, Boomerang is
refreshing and successful, although at nearly two hours in length, a great deal of the
momentum starts to wane, especially due to the final scenes being more serious
in tone. By this point, however, the entertainment quotient has already
been met, and we actually do begin to care about the ultimate fate of the film's
wishy-washy main character and where his loyalties lie. Still, a bit of
trimming here and there would have done a world of good, as it is confusing just
what the movie's supposed to be about at times.
While this is one
of Murphy's better films in this point in his career, it's ironic to see him in a
film about a man that loses his appeal by trying to lessen his
reputation as a misogynistic player. By trying to remake himself as a
debonair romantic lead, Murphy would also lessen his own popularity, as
audiences weren't willing to explore his charismatic, softer side. What
goes around, comes around, as they say; Boomerang wasn't the "comeback" vehicle Murphy
had hoped it would be.
Qwipster's rating:
©2006 Vince Leo
