Can Eddie Murphy Be Upstaged by Newcomer? Imagine That
June 12th 2009 21:55
The thing about Eddie Murphy is that when he is good, he is outrageously good and when he is bad he is awful. There are some Eddie Murphy movies that you can watch over and over and enjoy every viewing like it was the first. "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Coming to America" are vintage Murphy that I personally enjoy. More recent offerings like the "Shrek" films and "Daddy Day Care" have found their way into my personal collection because they are good fun that I can share with my children. Others, like "Norbet" were so mean spirited that it made me cringe.
So it makes me wonder what this weekend's release of Eddie's latest "Imagine That" will bring to the table. The story revolves around a financial executive that is more involved with his Blackberry than his 7 year old daughter.(Does anyone else hear Cat Stevens singing?) According to the movie's website, Murphy's character experiences a "crisis of confidence" and his career starts to tank. He finds the solution to all of his problems in his daughter's imaginary world.
There is a division among critics about this film some find it heart warming and endearing and others---well, let's just say that they are less than dazzled by Murphy's performance.
The one thing that everyone seems to be in agreement on is that the young actress who plays Eddie's daughter is a delight.Yara Sahidi began her career in print ads at the very tender age of 6 weeks. Since then she has worked on television in ABC's "In the Motherhood" and now is making her motion picture debut. With some critics calling her performance the best thing about the film, you have to wonder if she will steal the movie away from Murphy.
Face it, cute kids are notorious for upstaging adults. W.C. Fields once said "Never work with kids or dogs". Of course, unlike Fields, Murphy doesn't have a reputation for misanthropy. What he does have is an ability to play a scene with an adorable child and hold his own. Remember "Daddy Day Care?" Khamani Griffen was relentlessly adorable as Murphy's son and the scenes between the two were wonderful.
In "Imagine That" Murphy finds himself cast along another adorable child.
And that may be what makes this film worth watching. The plot sounds very familiar: out of touch dad finds his salvation and reconnects with his child.
Very familiar, a story we've seen countless times. What makes watching worth our while is what the actor playing the father brings to the table. In Eddie Murphy's case it may be the ability to make us laugh while he touches our hearts.
So it makes me wonder what this weekend's release of Eddie's latest "Imagine That" will bring to the table. The story revolves around a financial executive that is more involved with his Blackberry than his 7 year old daughter.(Does anyone else hear Cat Stevens singing?) According to the movie's website, Murphy's character experiences a "crisis of confidence" and his career starts to tank. He finds the solution to all of his problems in his daughter's imaginary world.
There is a division among critics about this film some find it heart warming and endearing and others---well, let's just say that they are less than dazzled by Murphy's performance.
The one thing that everyone seems to be in agreement on is that the young actress who plays Eddie's daughter is a delight.Yara Sahidi began her career in print ads at the very tender age of 6 weeks. Since then she has worked on television in ABC's "In the Motherhood" and now is making her motion picture debut. With some critics calling her performance the best thing about the film, you have to wonder if she will steal the movie away from Murphy.
Face it, cute kids are notorious for upstaging adults. W.C. Fields once said "Never work with kids or dogs". Of course, unlike Fields, Murphy doesn't have a reputation for misanthropy. What he does have is an ability to play a scene with an adorable child and hold his own. Remember "Daddy Day Care?" Khamani Griffen was relentlessly adorable as Murphy's son and the scenes between the two were wonderful.
In "Imagine That" Murphy finds himself cast along another adorable child.
And that may be what makes this film worth watching. The plot sounds very familiar: out of touch dad finds his salvation and reconnects with his child.
Very familiar, a story we've seen countless times. What makes watching worth our while is what the actor playing the father brings to the table. In Eddie Murphy's case it may be the ability to make us laugh while he touches our hearts.
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