Must-Read: The Return of Eddie Murphy?

So, this movie Tower Heist. Looking at the posters, the ads, the people behind it … the whole thing doesn’t seem too overly impressive. A Bernie Madoff type angers a bunch of hotel workers who take it out on him by planning on a hugely complex heist, with no doubt plenty of things going hilariously wrong, but not really violently so or anything.? Matthew Broderick is in it, so is Ben Stiller, neither of which really spark the ol’ “have to run out and see this in the theater” decision-making process. It essentially looks like the ideal in-flight movie.

Murphy's great return?

Except.

Oh, and this is a big except.

Eddie Murphy is in it, and from the sounds of it, it’s Eddie Murphy once again in pure Eddie Murphy form. Here’s an excerpt from a review over at AskMen.com:

While training the team of amateur thieves, Murphy does manage to breathe a little life into the stale premise, but he?s not on-screen nearly as much as his co-lead billing suggests and can?t carry the lame movie himself. His role is that of a supporting player at best, and it’s a wasted opportunity. Had the entire movie been about Murphy?s character, it might have been entertaining.

So, yes. Sounds not really worth watching. But could this actually signal a resurgence in Murphy’s career to bring him back to the point where he was the Funniest Person in the World? Bill Simmons over at Grantland, in an incredible read about Murphy’s entire career arc, considers this:

There’s been a subtle Eddie renaissance these past few months: his decision to host the Oscars next February; his candid Rolling Stone interview; a few late-night interviews; even a well-reviewed performance in Ben Stiller’s new movie. Could Eddie enjoy one last run of mainstream relevancy? Could he rip off a few movie-stealing supporting roles, a little like how Nicholson kept things fresh post-50 with Broadcast News, Batman and A Few Good Men? Would Eddie have the balls to return to 30 Rock and host SNL for the first time in 27 years? Does he realize that two generations of people don’t remember when he truly mattered?

If this is the case, if Eddie Murphy is on the cusp once again of becoming Eddie Murphy, then that’s a world to look forward to.