By the start of the 1990s,Eddie Murphyhad transcended his origins as a standup comedy genius to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Having grown used to relying on his motormouth shtick with classics like48 HoursandBeverly Hills Cop, Murphy sought to evolve how audiences saw him on-screen. After the smash success ofComing to America, where he’d first unveiled his talent for playing multiple characters in one film, Murphy cooked up a film that would show him in a brand-new light and pair him with a cadre of prominent Black talent, including an up-and-comingHalle Berry. That film was the unfairly malignedBoomerang.
What is ‘Boomerang’ About?
Marcus (Murphy) is a successful advertising executive who isnotorious for his selfish sexual conquests of women. He regularly holds court with his best friends, Gerald (David Alan Grier) and Tyler (Martin Lawrence), where they constantly compare each other’s egos with their sexual prowess. When his company gets acquired by a major cosmetics company led by Lady Eloise (Eartha Kitt), he’s forced to contend with a new boss, Jacqueline (Robin Givens), andthe two develop a heated dynamic where, for once, he finds himself the one being pursued. Their rocky romance will both interfere with his job and force him to question how he’s approached his attitude toward women, especially when he finds himself falling for Jacqueline’s colleague, Angela (Berry). While much hilarity does ensue, underneath the humor is a surprisingly adept commentary on gendered power dynamics and the pressures of making “commercial” art in a capitalist structure, delivered by a hysterical cast.
Eddie Murphy Leads a Brilliant Star-Studded Cast
Boomerangsucceeds largely due to its cast and howdirectorReginald Hudlinallows them room to blossom and develop different dynamics with each other.Murphy lets himself be shown in a myriad of ways that utilize more sides of him than previous films allowed, here tasked with playing a fuller character who doesn’t rely on his usual bag of tricks. His early scenes with Lawrence and Grier let him indulge in his more standard fare, to make the audience comfortable, sniping at them with fast one-liners and even letting out one of his signature laughs. His scenes with Givens let him go on a full character arc, one that gives him room to be a confident player, but then a confused and lovestruck simp, and thena truly vulnerable man who doesn’t know how to process being treated the way he’s treated women in the past. Still riding the momentum of her appearance inJungle Fever, Berry sparkles in a role that could easily be the throwaway “true” love interest, but she brings the gravitas and heart to keep the film from flying off the rails into being just a collection of funny scenes.
Special shoutouts should be given to a youngChris Rockas the office mail carrier who has regular riff sessions with Marcus,GraceJonesas an important client whose diva behavior goes well past unhinged into avant-garde performance art, andGeoffrey Holderas a commercial director with a deep infatuation for keeping things artistically horny at all times. Each character is given ample room to steal scenes, making the film roll along smoothly on the back of its collective chemistry.
That Time Eddie Murphy Was THIS Close to Starring in a Star Trek Movie
Beam me up, Eddie!
You could argue the film’s attempt at progressive politics is somewhat dated, as it’s ultimately a simple flipping of the tables where the guy gets “played” once, and it causes him to completely change his tune about his approach to women. But the film wouldn’t even be able to exist and provide the commentary that it does without Eddie Murphy using his power at the height of his movie stardom to get it made on his terms and speak to something that was sorely lacking in the Hollywood landscape at that time. Luckily, it resulted in one of the best films of his career, and it’s a shame no one saw it that way when it first came out.
Boomerangis currently available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+
