The Murphy Monday Podcast
The Murphy Monday Podcast
The Boomerang Episode Pt1 with Sam Law
Can a single film redefine an entire genre? Join us as we dissect the cultural phenomenon that is "Boomerang" and its legendary star, Eddie Murphy. From the humor of Eddie's meticulous coordination and the memorable mushroom shirt scene to the groundbreaking portrayal of Black professionals, we revisit moments that made this film iconic. We'll also break down the unforgettable soundtrack featuring PM Dawn, Johnny Gill, and TLC, exploring how it added a rich layer to the film's lasting appeal.
We'll take a closer look at how "Boomerang" challenged stereotypes by placing an all-Black cast in a professional setting, tackling criticisms about the film's racial composition, and emphasizing the importance of these portrayals in media. Hear personal stories of how "Boomerang" influenced our lives and shaped our perspectives, making it a cult classic despite initial negative reviews. We'll explore its role in paving the way for future Black romantic comedies, shedding light on the importance of representation in Hollywood.
Finally, we'll reflect on the lasting impact of Eddie Murphy's character, Marcus, on our perceptions of gender roles and relationships. From Marcus's charm and ambition to the deeper lessons about love and vulnerability, this film left an indelible mark. We'll share our favorite scenes, memorable quotes, and how younger generations might view these classic moments differently today. Plus, celebrate Eddie Murphy's extensive filmography and his impactful portrayal in "Dolomite Is My Name." Don't miss this heartfelt tribute to a film that continues to resonate across generations.
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everybody dances what movie is that? From, it's from beverly hills cop like wait, that's he's very previously previously, previously on the Murphy Monday podcast.
Speaker 5:I'm trying to impress you. You know that, I know. You know where'd you get the mushroom shirt? I got to know. Well, the secret is you got to coordinate. Most people don't coordinate, so you got to coordinate. That's what you did when you saw me. You saw the mushroom shirt, mushroom shirt, mushroom shirt Bang mushroom shirt. Mushroom shirt. But see, you can't stop with the mushroom shirt, you gotta go on. I had to stop that shirt. No, you gotta keep going. Okay, now let me show you something. Look at that.
Speaker 6:Oh, you got on a mushroom belt, Gerard. Did you know your pops had a mushroom belt on?
Speaker 5:Yes, but you don't stop there. Mushroom ring yes, good idea. Look what I got the gerard.
Speaker 7:Did you know? On the inside was special mushroom, yes, boomerang. At one point I felt like that was gonna be my life, like I was terrified, terrified. I'm like, oh my god, that's my life. And then his last name is Graham either that yo, oh my god, I'm till this day.
Speaker 2:I refer to that as my uncle, marcus, or your uncle I always say right, right yeah, I had a girlfriend that was super into boomerang, used to get jealous man why?
Speaker 9:Did she have pretty feet? Boomerang, you had to remind me that I had seen that film. I actually saw it in theaters, wow. And I'm like, oh, that's right, that's when Eddie Murphy knew he found the perfect woman based on her feet. So that probably lost some percentage points on Rotten Tomatoes, but that soundtrack was awesome. You had pm dawn. Yes, I without you. That song was oh, that was good oh, my goodness, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah, that actually was on there. Um, there's a couple of songs on there.
Speaker 9:Johnny gill's on there that was a really good soundtrack.
Speaker 2:It sounds like tlc is on there. Yeah, it was a really really good soundtrack.
Speaker 9:It sounds like TLC is on there. Yeah, it was a really, really good soundtrack. I'm not, you know, take it from a white boy from Connecticut. I know my R and B.
Speaker 1:Nigel recently um, I'm talking to the viewers right now. Nigel recently, uh, spoke about this movie, that we're talking about boomerang, and I and I told him, if you really look close to the scene where him and Halle Berry are sitting on the couch watching Star Trek because they're both Trekkies and they fall asleep together look closely at the television, what kind of television it is. You'll notice that that was the premiere. Now this movie was released in 92, he said Very clear about that. Flat screen TVs weren't even out was the premiere. Now, this movie was released in 92, he said Very clear about that. Flat screen TVs weren't even out. Then it wasn't like oh Rico, wait a minute. It's probably one of those things where you're looking at it from a certain angle and it looked like a. No, eddie Murphy was an upscale black man living an opulent lifestyle, luxury, luxury everywhere. He had a flat screen TV in place in that movie in 92.
Speaker 2:I gotta fact check that.
Speaker 1:I'll take your word for it. See for yourself. I used to think, well, maybe I'm not looking at it. Okay, word for it, no, no, see for yourself. See for yourself, because I used to think, well, maybe I'm not looking at it right, okay, look at it.
Speaker 2:It's on the wall, all right, all right, all right. Listen, you got it, you got it, that's not a JVC baby, you got it, it is, it is. You're definitely right, yep.
Speaker 1:Worthy girl Turn gay girl.
Speaker 4:This is a kinder gentler, eddie Murphy, than we've seen in the movies before, and I like him in this film.
Speaker 8:Well, I liked one thing that he did in the picture. I mean, everyone knows there's so much publicity about this picture that Eddie Murphy's you know sort of been shocked by the criticism that he's too macho in his Playboy interview and on the screen with Harlem Nights and that he's not black enough, that he doesn't hire enough blacks. So now this picture is like an apology, a mea culpa for all my sins. But I think what has happened is they haven't put enough laughs in it and the dangerous kind of funny Eddie Murphy is what I was missing in this picture.
Speaker 4:Because this is Eddie Murphy. Suddenly you've got this sociological criticism. Is he black enough? Does he have enough?
Speaker 8:black people no, no, no, I don't have it. I don't have it.
Speaker 4:His colleagues have it, no you've quoted it from other places.
Speaker 8:Exactly right.
Speaker 4:The fact is, I think you have to just look at this as a movie. You wouldn't put some other actor up to that kind of standard?
Speaker 8:I don't believe, Absolutely I you think any of these ideas that I've just said are in his mind.
Speaker 4:Do? I think they're in his mind. I'm sure they are, I'm sure they. I'm sure that he wants to show a different side of himself.
Speaker 8:So why am I wrong to bring it up?
Speaker 4:Well, because you're doing it in a different way, it's hard to explain, but I know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 8:You know, Roger, on that basis, you can do the show by yourself.
Speaker 4:Here's the problem. I have a very, very good point I'm trying to make and I can't make it in 30 seconds.
Speaker 8:Maybe we'll do a show on it, okay, coming up, the new show called Ebert.
Speaker 2:We've been waiting for a long time.
Speaker 5:Yes, we've been waiting for a long, long time. Good morning my baby.
Speaker 2:Jesus Christ, this is becoming very irritating. Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of the Murphy Monday podcast, the only podcast that celebrates the life and career of Eddie Murphy. I'm your host, nigel A Fullerton. With me today, I have an event coordinator. She's a social and community advocate. She's a TED Talk ex-speaker and the host of that Sam Law Show.
Speaker 3:Ladies, and gentlemen, please give a round of applause for Sam Law. Hey, hey, hey, I like that.
Speaker 5:Hey everyone.
Speaker 3:Thanks for having me, nigel, it's a pleasure and an honor to be here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've been trying to get you on for a while. I've been trying to do this episode for a while and I wanted to talk to a lot of professional Black women because the movie Boomerang is kind of centered around that. I don't know if you've ever realized like when you watch this movie, it's the first time that you see african-americans in a professional setting, like all black people in an office hey, you on your way to meet lady eloise to discuss that merger right.
Speaker 6:How do you know everything?
Speaker 5:you go.
Speaker 6:Well, I read it when I was in your office this morning hey, man, you're not supposed to be in my office and you ain't supposed to be going through my mail. Okay, no, I.
Speaker 5:Nah, man, I wouldn't go through your stuff. Man, here here, hold it up, hold it up.
Speaker 6:Hold it up, oh you're gonna read right through the envelope. I'm gonna read right through the envelope it says lunch tomorrow at Hula Heads, open it up. Dear Bob, how about lunch at Hula? That's very impressive.
Speaker 5:See told you man told you man, now check this out. Man, I'm working here about nine days, you know I've been on time most of the time, even when it rained. Don't you think it's about time we talk?
Speaker 2:promotion. It's normal to us, but for other cultures they don't really see it that way. Uh, one of the critiques of this movie was that it's set in a fantasy world where white people don't exist.
Speaker 10:Okay so no, and I I admire the fact this is a film about some uh rich people. I guess you're a rich guy in the show runs an advertising agency, right? He, he or he's head of the advertising agency he's a. He's a marketing executive right, I mean no guns, no violence the.
Speaker 6:The coolest thing about Boomerang and the most political thing about Boomerang is that it's a movie with all black cast and it has nothing to do with being black or nothing.
Speaker 10:That's my point I don't To me any good movie when you become the person in the movie like I'm sitting. I went to see League of their their own and I'm sitting there going oh, I'm gina davis, I'm the one throwing the ball because you put yourself in you know?
Speaker 10:see, I would think you would say oh, I'm tom hanks, not gina davis apparently, you know I guess you don't know me that well, but you know like I'm reading this thing, I'm reading this through from. This is on the la times, this review, it says. It says the most intriguing aspect of Boomerang turns out not its story, but its racial composition. It says this takes pains to create a reverse world from which white people are invisible.
Speaker 6:Now, oh yeah, this cat in the LA Times was tripping because there was. There were no that. Well, there are white people in the movie but there were no. Like like white leads in it and you take a picture like boys in the hood, like, uh, you know, like white leads in it and you take a picture like boys in the hood. No one tripped about that because it was, you know, a movie that dealt with like a violent thing but right, regular thing and it was business or where are the white people who's running that office.
Speaker 6:You know I mean. So when you, when you get that type of criticism, you can't really trip on it. If someone's reviewing a movie and they're tripping on me, you, you know, personally I don't even get it. Well, it's a cultural bias.
Speaker 10:It's the type of thing where people say they're not used to seeing black artists in these roles. So it seems odd to me. But you know, I would say, well, you better get used to it, because I ain't going, no place, I ain't going no place.
Speaker 2:There, I ain't going no place. I ain't going no place, rob Markman. There's a lot of critics of this movie. I remember when I first started this podcast, the critics rating was at 21%. It is now at 48% because more and more people have talked about this movie. It's become more of a cult classic.
Speaker 3:I still say fuck them critics.
Speaker 3:I was really young when it came out. I was like six years old. So I'll give some background. I have an older brother. My older brother is 44. Right now I'm 35. So he's got to be 16 watching this movie. And I remember the soundtrack actually came with a condom in it, did it? Yeah, and that was super controversial. And I remember being with my brother I think he was at the Wiz when he got the soundtrack, you know and it had that song like love should have brought you home last night and all those romantic songs and like that was the thing. That was kind of like the. It was the shock value.
Speaker 2:Do you remember the first time you saw this?
Speaker 3:movie Like what is he trying to say? What is this trying to push forward? And I remember being small. Now, as I got older, I was a weirdo in like my latter years of elementary school and middle school.
Speaker 3:I would come home and I would watch Boomerang, senseless and what's Love Got to Do With it. So don't ask, I don't know why, but like these movies were. You know what? When I think about it, I think what I liked about these movies is that it was like, you know, you watch Liar Liar with Jim Carrey and you watch Boomerang with Eddie Murphy, and these archetypes are similar in the sense of like Eddie Murphy's in office, jim Carrey's in office, you know there's these powerful women and then there's the at-home women. It was real life.
Speaker 3:I grew up in West Babylon Like that's what life to me looked like as a young, a young child of color black child, and I just felt like I even like that's what life to me look like as a young, a young child of color black child, and I just felt like I even like what's love got to do with it. Tina Turner my grandma loved Tina Turner. She's rich, she's powerful and senseless. With um Marla Wayans, he's going to college. He's just trying to go to like a good. He's in school, he's trying to get a job at a big firm and like impress some pretty girl. And the girl happens to be, like me, multiracial. And these themes were what I imagined my life to look like and I think you know I want to say between 10 and like 15, it just kind of like became a movie. That kind of shaped me and I work in a very I work in a similar world. I work in marketing, oddly enough.
Speaker 2:Do you feel like this movie influenced you though?
Speaker 3:Hell yeah, it's iconic to me. I think I wanted to be every woman in that movie, or at some point I have been Even down to Eartha Kitt's character.
Speaker 7:I've been them all.
Speaker 3:I embody a little piece of every woman in that movie Definitely Halle Berry the most, in the sense of falling for someone that isn't ready they're not ready to commit, they're not ready to do right, and you're just like yo.
Speaker 3:Just be normal, bro, like I don't know why you're thinking so deep into it, but just be normal and let's see what what happens. I think at one point I've been Robin Givens, you know hot, and I'm outside and I'm doing my thing and I'm a player, like I've probably been hurt way too long, you know, and I don't want to be her anymore. I'd rather be like Holly Berry or even embody, like David Allen Greer's character, Like the love. There was a lot of love in that movie.
Speaker 2:I feel like there was Like, honestly, I think there's a couple things that you said that resonated with me, because, number one, I do love the movie Senseless. I don't know why, I just want to let you know. But the second thing is that, again, when we watched this, we didn't understand what was happening before us, because to us it's normal, what do you mean? There's all black people hanging out at at a, at a law, like a marketing firm in 1992. It is like we never stopped, we never thought anything differently. However, it's funny how our community looks at this movie and then, like, I just read you the reviews and you're like wait, are, are we watching a different movie? Like, do you not find John Witherspoon hilarious?
Speaker 3:Right, Like you know, he reminds me of like men, I know, like my family in the South they eat chitterlings, I don't and pig feet and stuff like that. It's not my cup of tea.
Speaker 5:I eat normal parts of the pork and stuff like that. It's not my cup of tea.
Speaker 3:I eat normal parts of the pork, but just that like the big hat. His wife wearing a big hat in one of those church things. We just talked about that. That's our roots, you know. It seemed. It was real for me, more real than maybe. What is it? Dolomite or a movie like? That I can't relate to that I could relate to Marcus. I could relate to Marcus. I could relate to all of those characters. I can really relate to Marcus. Now being in marketing, being a Black woman in marketing, I just can't relate.
Speaker 2:I understand completely. It's funny when we watch this movie and we look at this movie. I don't know if you knew this, but this is one of the first romantic comedies wow if you really like, look at it like from a spectrum, because I I've tried to look, like, I've tried to search like what was the first black, like romantic comedy, before this, you have the 80s and the only one that comes close is she's got to have it.
Speaker 3:Wow, you know what I was going to think. It might have been Sidney Poitier's Guess who's Coming to Dinner. Yeah, but that's not really wasn't necessarily a black film.
Speaker 2:And it also was about him coming to a white family, like it was more the racial aspect rather than it being just black people and showing of black love and black excellence. If you look at the movies before that, there's a lot of black exploitation movies in the seventies. When we come to the eighties, they stopped it because they didn't want to. These the black exploitation movies weren't as profitable. So if you look at how many black movies happened in in 1980s, like there's not a lot. That's why there was the resurgence with Spike Lee and you know Robert Townsend and Kenan Abbey-Waynes, but besides that, the only real all-Black cast was the color purple. You know what I mean? Yeah, so like, unless we're in a slavery movie like Glory, or we're in some action movie like Dolomite or you know, shaft, this was the first representation of actual professional Black people. Because, again, I go back to a movie called Claudine with James Earl Jones and Diane Carroll.
Speaker 2:However, that movie wasn't a comedy. I don't believe. It was more of a drama. So we're known for drama. We're known a drama, so we're known for drama. We're known for comedy and we're known for action, but never that meld of romantic comedy. We never had our Kramer versus Kramer. We never had. When a man loves a woman, like, we didn't have those. This is the first one that like. Exactly this is the first one that like brings you to a best man, brings you to a loving basketball brings you to all the other things yeah, but that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:Like this movie and I love it because it's directed by one of my favorite movie directors and I say this all the time it's my favorite movie in the world House Party, I have it on my wall, but it's directed by reginald hudley dj belial, that's my homie, oh yeah, I'm trying to get him on the show.
Speaker 2:I tried, I, I really did. I sent him. I sent him some stuff. I've talked about um daryl chill mitchell probably twice on this podcast. Uh, because of the time that I met him at the barbershop and he was dressed like crazy.
Speaker 2:But anyway, reginald Hudlin, directing this movie. It was amazing because this is the first time that Eddie Murphy Eddie Murphy's had a lot of criticism for not being quote unquote, black enough, right? So, mostly from Spike Lee and a lot of other black creatives. Because if you look at the movies that Eddie Murphy has done over the years the only one before this, well, he only had two. It was Coming to America, that was all black and it was Harlem Nights. So you know which, again, are all black cast. But he was being criticized about there not being black writers, black directors, black, you know whatever. He didn't use it. So this is the first time that Eddie Murphy got together with a black director and you see all the nuances that happen in this movie because for some reason and just, you have Coming to America and you have a Harlem Nights, but for some reason this movie feels like the blackest movie that Eddie Murphy's ever done well, I did see Dolomite, that was nuts yeah but Dolomite is pretty black.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but Dolomite is my name, is something that came later right, right, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3:like, after all the criticism, after all the criticism, after all the criticism.
Speaker 2:But again, it's like you see these things with Eddie and you watch this movie and this movie is in for the audience that doesn't know this movie is from 1992. It's about a player that gets played Basically. You have Marcus Graham, Eddie Murphy's character, who works at a marketing firm and he is this playboy that, like, is just hanging out dating up every kind of women, but he's very shallow. He doesn't like women because of their feet Beautiful but her feet were jacked up, were they?
Speaker 6:Yeah, I pulled the covers back. Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2:Habitime. He doesn't like them because they're not too smart. Rod, you met that girl? She's not very smart.
Speaker 6:Come on, man, you don't fuck her brains, I'm looking for perfection.
Speaker 2:He has two other friends that don't get as much women as he does Martin Lawrence and David Alan Greer but they're like his lackeys.
Speaker 6:Like the shit you read about in Penthouse man stuff, but they're like his lackeys.
Speaker 5:I can't do that, man. That's why you don't get no pussy man. Exactly, hey, tyler, there's other things in life besides sex. Come on, how about sharing commitment? You know you get to get in touch with your feminine side, like me.
Speaker 6:Starting to sound low on the soft side. Starting to sound soft man, Borderline bitch.
Speaker 2:You also have him working at this firm, trying to make a name for himself. At the firm which is head up by Lady Eloise, played by Eartha Kitt, loves to throw herself at virile young men, marcus.
Speaker 6:Darling, what are you trying to imply? That I hit it? Oh no, I see what you're saying, marcus Darling. Hey, how you doing, lady Eloise, I don't have any panties on.
Speaker 4:Lady.
Speaker 1:Eloise, please. We have a meeting.
Speaker 2:Can we just please go? You know, roger Right, and she basically, she basically is turning the. I guess there's a corporate takeover that's happening and Robin Gibbons is becoming the new basically head of the department which Eddie Murphy thought he was going to get. But anyway, eddie Murphy finds himself falling for this girl, but he doesn't really want to and it's kind of a reversal pattern. That's why this is a boomerang situation. It's reversed and now eddie murphy is having the feelings that he has given to other women, which is kind of one of the reasons why a lot of women like this movie. I feel like y'all watch it and then turn it off, right when he's like trying to listen to some shoday, right when he's hanging out with the kids, like, yep, that's what you get, click, don't get with angela. You're gonna ruin her too. How do you feel about the situations that go on in this movie?
Speaker 3:you know what I think I might have let marcus characters like. I think when I think about it you might be an archetype of who I've been you know I think that, starting at a young age, and this you.
Speaker 3:This could be why in 1992 or from in my formative years, I didn't see like a lot of black women in power. They weren't really on the news that much as news anchors you had, like Oprah. You had a couple of ladies on some soap operas Very few, like it just wasn't like something you saw and I was always like a real smart girl. I always assumed I would be in like corporate America or you know, owning my own businesses, like I just assumed that was going to be my life and I thank God that for the most part it has been. But I feel like that imagery that I saw was me wanting to be more like a man. And I think that Eddie Murphy you know he's funny, I always like to laugh and I'm into comedy I think that in fun fact my aunt actually got hit on by Eddie Murphy back in the day when he was in Hempstead. A lot of people don't know that he's from Long Island because he don't like to say that- oh no.
Speaker 2:I've had his friends on here. Yeah, he's a.
Speaker 3:Long.
Speaker 4:Island guy.
Speaker 3:So I think that that like that imagery, like he was a archetype to me of somebody that I wanted to be. He was handsome and smart and everybody adored him. Everywhere he went he had his eyes set on the top, you know, he loved art, he loved music, he had good friends. Like to me, he had a good life and he was shallow and I was shallow. I'm probably still shallow to a degree and I also, like I said, I had an older brother.
Speaker 3:So some of the things that he was saying the next person I look up to in my life and my big brother was saying too so like some of those things not that my brother was shallow, but he had a thing about nasty feet some of those things Not that my brother was shallow, but he had a thing about nasty feet I do not like your feet are nasty, Like you know, and like certain things about women and the vulnerability of women. I didn't like growing up Like I felt like if you were vulnerable you, you made room to fall off your path and if you could let men sidetrack you. So a lot of times I treated men like an option, you know, instead of a I don't know the right word, but I guess, instead of like a gift or treasure, because it is a gift to be in love and to fall in love, I didn't think of it like that.
Speaker 3:I just thought of it like all right, if they want to be around, they want to be around, if they don't, they don't. I'm still going to go about my business and I'm still like that to a degree, but I'm not as shallow and I'm not like a player like I used to be, like I was bad and I think that a lot of those things I picked up from him. It wasn't until years later, like watching the movie as an adult, that I felt sad for him and I felt sad for myself because I was like damn, I'm so much like this character but that's what happens when you watch something at all the time, like I mean I would watch it all the time I know like the like the weirdest parts of the movie, like I'll quote it, I've I've quoted like um, uh, then that commercial that he does with um, the guy from Annie, the guy who played Punjab from Annie he's like the cherries and everything.
Speaker 3:I'm like kiss, kiss, kiss kiss me once, Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss me once kiss me twice.
Speaker 6:Oh yeah, ooh la la sexy bomb. So nice baby, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me twice. Oh yeah, ooh la la sexy bomb. So nice baby, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me twice. Oh yeah, ooh la la sexy bomb. So nice baby. I like it Good, I like the orange Good and I like the ice cream. Lovely. You gotta get rid of the cherries and lose the banana, Cherry and banana, and that's a little Brunella, little dollies, you know. Well, that's a little too overt, you know we should go a little more subtle. I think some women might get offended. All right, but I dug it, I dug it. Don't make that. He didn't dig it face, I dug it.
Speaker 3:Just got a little nasty, like y'all always do. Okay, all right, nasty, nelson, that's me like that, like that's how much that movie imprinted on me. Or even that scene when angela screams at eddie murphy like you know, you're pretty much shady dude like love should have brought you home last night. And then the music plays. It's like, oh my god, what is that? You know, how did that happen? That was perfect.
Speaker 3:But when you, if you've ever been in a situation like that, where you've had to say something like that to someone, it's like, damn, like I, I had a boomerang, like you said, it flipped around on me as an adult where I'm just like I don't want to be like that anymore, like I gotta change. But, um, I think I think like that that has been real powerful, like seeing Marcus develop and him change, even, like you said, when you're like, oh, you know, women probably be like you don't deserve Angela. But he needed Angela right until it was necessary, is necessary for him to become who he is you, you know and become a good person. So I felt like you know, like you should go with her. Yeah, you could be with the girl like a Robin Givens character what was her name?
Speaker 2:Robin Givens name was Jacqueline.
Speaker 3:Jacqueline that's my sister's name, but you have her and you have, like, strong j, and you have lady eloise women that are used to using men to as a sexual uh tool or using them to get what they want. They don't see value. And we have angela that just sees value in people yeah I want to be more like that yeah, that's.
Speaker 2:That's interesting, that she sees value in people and she was actually nice to David Allen Greer on that date, because I know it could have gone left Right.
Speaker 3:Because he's not the obvious choice, like in any film or in anything. He's the guy that always wears his heart on his sleeve and gets hurt easily and he can't never seem to find the right girl. But it's probably because he wears his heart on his sleeve and gets hurt easily and he can't never seem to find the right girl. But it's probably because he wears his heart on his sleeve.
Speaker 3:But just like the grace and how she handled that date and meeting his parents and all types of like weird stuff that went on like she just loved people and I I think over time in my life I just wanted to love people movie really left on me and it didn't hurt that she looked like one of Marcus' girls. Right. His mother says that's hilarious. Oh, you look like one of Marcus' girls.
Speaker 2:What are some of your favorite parts of this movie?
Speaker 3:There's too many to name. I think that scene when Stranger reveals her fragrance in the commercials is just so freaking bizarre. And they're like what is the name of the fragrance? And she's like after Beth and they're like what? And she's like after Beth and they're like see that, like what.
Speaker 6:I'm sorry, I thought you said Beth no it's English B-i-r-t-h best I was just making a distinction between birth or bath.
Speaker 3:Thank, you darling don't make fun of me, okay. My english is not so good. You know, as a mom, that is not a fragrance I think.
Speaker 2:I think it's crazy because this movie was the first, my first introduction to who grace jones is. So for me, I watched a documentary on grace jones that blew my mind. I was like I need to be more of a fan. I did not know this woman, who was, who she is like.
Speaker 3:She definitely deserves she deserves her flowers so much fun fact her brother is a pastor, noah jones. Oh, big, huge, mega church pastor, didn't know didn't know.
Speaker 2:I don't think they hang out super close, yeah does he sing. Pull up to my bumper during mass, I don't know. Pull up to the bumper, baby, drive it in between.
Speaker 3:I've only caught a couple of like clips of his services, but I just think that that's like wild, like they're so different, and I mean, look at how she shaped culture and art, like that whole that shoot that kim kardashian did, where she has, like, the champagne bottle hanging off her butt all of those were actually grace jones, like that photographer. That was his muse.
Speaker 2:Grace jones was his muse yeah, she's, she's amazing, like I just oh man, oh man. I could talk about Grace Jones for hours. I don't want to. Let's get back on track. What are some of the other moments that you love about this movie?
Speaker 3:I think when they go to New Orleans, when he goes to New Orleans with Angela and Angela has to like break it down like bro, I think this we should just have fun and yeah, I talked to other people, I thought you were too, and um, this isn't anything more than fun, you know, and rightfully so. Like, first off, if you know now I know what I know as a grown woman you don't poop where you eat, like she really should not have been. Like there's a lot of inter-office relationships.
Speaker 2:Oh, there's a lot that you should not be. Why are you doing this to Marcus?
Speaker 3:Right, right. And so there's it's a little messy at that job, like I would have left a while ago. I was like Can't deal with none of this. This is we not doing this? But what I will say is like I think she knew her path and where she wanted to go and she felt like yo, like dude, everybody done slept with you at this job. Lady Eloise Tron, j's throwing it at you Like the girls every time you walk in a room, like the girls are laughing because they've done whatever with you or flirted with you. I can't take you serious and I think it's the first time a man feels like what?
Speaker 3:yeah, yeah he's serious yeah it was necessary.
Speaker 3:It was like the first um. It was like when you look at the, the stages of change, it was in that pre premeditation stage where you haven't really thought about what you, why you need to change, but then, like, something comes up and it's like, hmm, it starts getting those gears going, you know. And then then you start to enter the process of change, where you start doing some of the work. You'll start planning it and doing the work. I think that was like his first step, that wait, what like me, you know why not me? And then he had to examine. Now he's going to ask his friends and he's, he's, he's hanging out with angela and he's starting to look at himself.
Speaker 2:It's the first part of of introspection for him, I think yeah, definitely mean for any man and I know this for a fact for any man to walk in and every woman is laughing at him. Yeah, yeah, that's not good. I felt for him.
Speaker 3:I was like I mean I put a few guys through that in college. I can't lie.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but it hurts. It hurts. It's like. It's like, oh man, like when you know, you know, like you don't know, but you but you know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's just like do I have something in my head Like what's going on?
Speaker 2:What's so funny? What's?
Speaker 3:so funny everybody. And she's talking about like, like. She's talking about intimate moments with him and at work, like in this place he's got to go, you spend, so you spend like eight to 10 hours a day at work, like in this place you've got to go. You spend like eight to 10 hours a day at work.
Speaker 2:That's not exactly where you want to feel like an outcast or a pariah. Yeah, I have like three favorite moments in this movie. One of them is Chris Rock's character, Boney T.
Speaker 5:Mark, mark, I don't believe the way you let her doggie you out like that. Walk around with your head down moping. Where's your pride? Where's your dignity? Didn't you see Malcolm X died so you could walk around looking like a chump?
Speaker 6:Hey, boney, not today, okay, sad man.
Speaker 1:First a fat boy's breakup, now this. There's nothing to believe in.
Speaker 2:The second one is Grace Jones saying no man can turn down this pussy.
Speaker 3:Oh man, that was at the big party right.
Speaker 2:No, that was at. They had a dinner Right okay, they had a dinner and she and he's, they're in a restaurant and Jacqueline goes to the bathroom and then all of a sudden she's like so I heard you can really move that ass Right, okay, so when are we going to fuck what?
Speaker 7:According to Jacqueline, you are really great in bed.
Speaker 6:Jacqueline told you I was really good in bed.
Speaker 7:Well, according to Jacqueline, you really know how to move your ass, you know.
Speaker 6:Oh, she told you I know how to move my ass in bed. Okay, okay, okay. Well, I don't know what Jack has told you, but it's not that kind of partying. I'd appreciate it if, hey, what's the matter with you? Stop that, stop, stop it. Will you stop it? Get out of here.
Speaker 3:I mean, I don't believe this. You are going to turn down a pussy like this, staring you smack in your face.
Speaker 7:No man can turn down this pussy. I don't know any man that can refuse this pussy. Stop showing pussy. People are eating in here Pussy, pussy, pussy, pussy, pussy, pussy, pussy.
Speaker 6:Trying to find our cat. Where is that cat?
Speaker 2:And I think my third favorite is probably Pops John Witherspoon.
Speaker 5:Now, marcus, I hear a girl dog got your pussy whipped. Why don't you reverse that? Got your pussy whipped. Why don't you reverse it?
Speaker 10:Don't be pussy whipped. Whip that pussy. Look, Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang bang.
Speaker 3:I wonder if you take like Gen Z or the younger millennials and play it that are white or Hispanic and you play in you know any other race and you play it for them. If they would have like their first time, I wonder what their first time in review watching it would be like would their minds be different? Because they have a much broader view than what Siskel and Ebert had at the time.
Speaker 2:Yes and no. Yes, they would have a broader view. But, like when you have a lot of the Gen Zers watch Coming to America from and this is from my good friend Mouse Jones, he doesn't see how he doesn't see how he's a millennium. But I'm just saying Mouse is like I don't see Coming to America as being that funny. What?
Speaker 2:The second one, the first one, the first one. He's out of his mind. I haven't had him on the podcast yet, but the first one. We talked about it and he was like nah, but when you look at a lot of when I, when I go back and I watch because I told you that people still review these movies after 30 years, whatever, and the way that they look at things, like I want I've read something from nutty Professor that said I feel bad for the fat professor. They were like a lot of the jokes are cringy, like even now, like as I go on here and I look at what they're saying, you know it's they're saying for all the sex talk in Boomerang, there's very little nudity. The only thing naked is Eddie Murphy's vanity. That's from.
Speaker 4:Rolling.
Speaker 2:Stone. That's deep. That's from Rolling Stone. You know I don't know what people are looking for when they watch a movie. Are you looking to be entertained? I don't understand exactly why people like things and why they hate things.
Speaker 3:It's a bit of a. It's relational and cognitive dissonance and their understanding, like how they synthesize culture in their brains.
Speaker 3:You know it's a, it's a mixture of things. If you don't relate, it probably won't make sense to you. Um, if you, if you haven't processed your own crap, it's probably not going to make sense to you. If you don't have, like they say, um, like, the neocortex of your brain is where you process culture. So you go to another country, or whatever.
Speaker 3:Me, when I go to other countries, I want fit in, like I want to see how the locals live. I don't want to see, I want to see some of the tourist stuff, but I want to see, like, how people are. Even when I go to another state, I want to be where the locals are, and that's that's how I'm able to process culture and pick up different languages quickly and enjoy myself in, like the weirdest or the most interesting and beautiful places in the world. And I think that, um, you know, if your brain isn't set to process culture, because you don't actively step outside of what you know, you're not gonna really enjoy things that are different from you, you know, and whatever. That is so and I think it's a window if you want to process, if you want to learn something new or enjoy another culture, but you can't leave the house. It's a way to do that, like reading a book.
Speaker 2:I think it's a privilege. I think that it's kind of like oh, you've never seen Top Gun? No, I've never seen Top Gun. Have you seen Boomerang? I've never seen Top Gun? No, I've never seen Top Gun. Have you seen Boomerang?
Speaker 3:I've never seen Top Gun. I know the main character's names are, but I've never seen it.
Speaker 2:I used to tease this guy. I used to say I've never seen a Tom Cruise movie besides Mission Impossible.
Speaker 3:Yo, you know what you used to say to me back in the day, what you used to go have you ever seen Friday? And then you'd go. No, you know what's funny? I didn't see Friday until two years ago, and I think it's your fault, it was me. I did that. Yeah, I used to do that the whole time when we were kids. Oh, my bad I finally saw Friday two years ago and I got to tell you I understand so many things people were talking about now.
Speaker 2:We used to. I had the VHS. I probably bought it around that time. I had the VHS and I used to watch it all the time. That and Don't Be Mad, south Central, I drank your juice tonight. That's a good one.
Speaker 9:Yeah.
Speaker 3:That's a good one. So, that's gotta be one of my favorites.
Speaker 2:My last question to you is what are your top five Eddie Murphy movies?
Speaker 3:Top five Okay, um boomerang, okay, um definitely coming to America Dream girls, even though he's not the star of the movie, he's just oh yeah, he's an amazing performance in Dream Girls. I don't know the name of this movie, but it's a movie with him and his daughter and there's like this little tree.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a thousand words.
Speaker 3:A thousand words? Yes, why do that's a thousand words, a thousand words yes.
Speaker 2:Why do you like a thousand words Interesting?
Speaker 3:Because he really had to, I guess. Like Boomerang, he had to change and grow, because once that tree ran out, that was kind of it and you just didn't want that to happen. Another one of my favorites in this movie is nuts. Oh man, what is it called? What is it called? It's right at the tip of my tongue. He's in a movie and there's him, and there's an actor who thinks aliens are after him. Bowfinger, bowfinger, bowfinger. Oh my God, I love that movie. So we're at Bowfinger Coming to America.
Speaker 2:Thousand.
Speaker 4:Words.
Speaker 3:Thousand Words and okay. Oh, and Dreamgirls. I think those have got to be. I mean, I have so many but I'm going to. I'm going to think, right now, those are probably the ones that really you picked a thousand words over life. I like, I like life, but life actually makes me really freaking sad.
Speaker 2:A lot of people say that. A lot of people say that's why you know life had bad reviews too right.
Speaker 3:Ten times I could understand that and I've seen it like 10 times. I've seen it older. So, like some of his movies, I didn't because I was really young when he was in his prime. I didn't see until I was in my 20s and 30s, you know. And so now when I see Life and understanding, like the prison, the school to prison pipeline, it makes it breaks my heart, even though I have a good ending. It breaks my heart Because like it's just, but yeah, it's a great. I mean there's so many that he did that are great.
Speaker 3:I wish you would have asked me. The ones that I like was like, yeah, why? I think it kind of shows more Like I really did not not guru too much.
Speaker 2:Was that what it was called?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Holy.
Speaker 3:Man, holy man. Yeah, guru was with the same movie, but with Michael Myers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Mike Myers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I didn't like Holy man that much.
Speaker 2:It was cheap. Yeah, it's actually, and I've said this on the podcast before Holy man is not really an Eddie Murphy movie. It's actually a Jeff Goldblum movie and they stuck Eddie Murphy in it and they made him the star of the show.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it wasn't really his. It's not really his movie. I like that. He motivated people.
Speaker 7:But it was cheesy.
Speaker 3:What else I didn't really. I was never really a fan of the Golden Child. Is that what it's called? Oh, man. The Golden Child. I never really Okay. It's okay. What else? I got an honorable mention Shrekrek that he was good in Shrek, but I wasn't the biggest Shrek fan. He is my favorite part of Shrek. Um, what else? What else? The one with Rasputia?
Speaker 2:that's Norbit. Why don't she like Norbit?
Speaker 3:See, I like Norbit the character and I like that he stood up for himself. I detested Rasputia. I just detested her in so many levels. One of the things I really appreciate about Eddie Murphy is his range and that he can just put on a suit and be whoever Like anybody White, black, it don don't matter, he'll just be anybody. But um, I just the audacity of Rasputia like she's just like, really like I just wanted to smack her the whole time. I could not stand well I felt for Norbit, but I hate?
Speaker 2:yeah, but that does that mean that he did a great job because he made you want to hate the person, or it's just that you didn't like her?
Speaker 3:I thought it was cheesy. I thought again it was cheesy. It was a little like there was just like a point where he was like kind of relying on those things as opposed to like giving us good stories and good work. I think he had a big turnaround with A Thousand Words and with Dreamgirls. I think that was like a big turnaround. But I mean, then you have the movie that he did about Dolomite. That was just that was great. I loved that. A lot of people said they didn't love it, but I loved it.
Speaker 2:That's because they thought it was a comedy. It's actually. If you look at it, it's a biopic.
Speaker 3:Right, it's a biopic.
Speaker 2:Because, again, a lot of people don't know who Dolomite is.
Speaker 3:Right and how powerful that was for us as Black people.
Speaker 2:In the movies I actually reviewed that movie at another podcast and I was actually telling my who was a Gen Z or my co-host? I was just telling him. I was like the old man is a real character. He's like for real. He didn't know. You know, I was like you don't have to watch the movies, they're horrible, but you know, just know that it's. Basically this is a story about a man that persevered that that, like as creatives, we get doors slammed in our faces Like I've been out in LA for the past year. You don't know how many doors have been slammed in my face from shows that everybody's watched and I'd be like, and I'd just be sitting there watching I was like, alright, Atheon Crockett got that. Alright, I get it.
Speaker 3:But when you think about it, like when you think about afion crockett right and he he used to dance and do all types of like we have to do so many things in order to get our shot.
Speaker 3:You know, and, and, and some of us will not, some of us all get our shot are going to get our shot this year, or we have, like it ebbs and flows, like we have periods where, like there's times, I'm all in the news, I'm doing this, I'm doing that, and then, like this year, I haven't done diddly dog, do I mean?
Speaker 9:I did my show and I thank God for that.
Speaker 3:But if it wasn't for my significant other really pushing me, I wouldn't have probably even done that. But you like you see that. You see them getting a door slammed in their face. But when you hear these stories, or a story like Dolomites, where he was just like F, your doors.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I'm going to make it work. I'm going to make it happen. I'm going to force myself in there. I'm going to like the way he set it up to take over that. That was I needed to see that. I needed to be inspired like that, and I'm glad that Eddie Murphy was the one to do it. I thought he did a phenomenal job.
Speaker 2:I did too, because, to be honest with you, I never thought Dolomite was funny.
Speaker 3:No, it's not, it's the worst.
Speaker 2:It's not Shaft, it's not funny, but like Rudy Ray Moore is not funny yeah no, it was so extra.
Speaker 3:It was just like what is this? But it was necessary, it was so extra, it was just like what Law? You can find me there. You can go on YouTube and search up my show, the that Sam Law Show. Season two will be premiering in November. Season one is all out. You can watch it whatever you like and just look on my website, wwwthatsamlawcom, if you want to know where I'm at, where I'm going to be. If you want to just watch my life in real time, check out my stories on Instagram and Facebook.
Speaker 2:Awesome, awesome. Well, I thank you for being here, thank you for being a guest, thank you for sharing, sharing your stories. Oh man, this was a good one. Sharing your stories. Oh man, this was a good one. Uh, once again, shout out to comedy beast radio. Uh, and listen. Hey, if you haven't seen this movie, you should by now. Uh like, share and subscribe, tell an Eddie Murphy fan. To tell an Eddie Murphy fan that you love this podcast. And, with all hearts and minds clear, let's end this show.