Eddie, Meet Jerry Lewis

This weekend saw Eddie Murphy’s career take another blow with the release of his Sci-Fi comedy, Meet Dave. The movie opened to just over $5,000,000 for a budget just north of $60 million. Can we all let out a collective OUCH?

This from a man who was only last year nominated for his brilliant performance in Dreamgirls (robbed ,by the way, by Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine). The truth is, Meet Dave should have done better, given Murphy’s talent and universal appeal. But a crowded landscape and a difficult marketing campaign left movie-goers scratching their heads and opting not to reach for their wallets.

Murphy’s career spans a quarter-century, starting with a break-out performance in 48 Hours. What followed were such commercial hits as Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, Shrek, Dr. Doolittle, as well as underestimated classics like Vampire in Brooklyn and, my personal favorite, Bowfinger. (If you’ve never seen it, click to your Netflix account the moment you finish this article and add it to your docket immediately. Arguably Murphy at his finest.)

Back to his days on Saturday Night Live, one of Murphy’s greatest impressions was that of Jerry Lewis—clearly a personal hero and comedic guru, given his obvious nods in his Nutty Professor remake and sequel, as well as subtle (watch his performance in Bowfinger to see shadows of Lewis in movies like The Bellboy and Errand Boy).

The comparisons between the two cannot only be seen in talent, it seems, but also in career trajectory. In 1953, Jerry Lewis was the biggest star in the world—Jim Carrey times a thousand. He truly could do no wrong. Even splitting with Dean Martin did little to tarnish his box office shine. His shtick lasted successfully for almost two decades, until around 1970, with the forgettable Which Way to the Front? By then, Lewis was 44 years old, and the idiot routine was wearing thin with audiences.

By comparison, Murphy is 47. Perhaps history is repeating itself.

Many insiders believe Murphy lost the Oscar this year because of the publicity campaign for Norbit – a base comedy where Murphy would play (with prosthetics) three major characters. Critics aside, watching the movie, one still can’t deny his mastery. Watching Murphy in full fat-suit, spitting out Rasputia’s catch phrase, “How YOU doing?” defies almost anyone not to laugh. The only crime is watching his genius being squandered with not one but two movies he did a decade ago (with Nutty Professor franchise).

It would take Jerry Lewis almost a dozen years to return to the screen, resurrected by Martin Scorsese in King of Comedy. But by then, it was too late. Lewis himself had already become a self-parody, which partly accounted for the film’s success. He wasn’t just playing Jerry Langford – a pompous, self involved, meglomaniac…he was Jerry Langford.

It’ll take more than prosthetics and C.G.I. effects to save Murphy from a similar fate.

No doubt Murphy’s career will survive his latest career misstep. Hell, if we can forget about Pluto Nash, I suppose anything is possible. But if audiences are to grow with Murphy, he will need to meet us half way…and agree to grow with us.

Based upon the three movies he has in various stages of production, I’m banking on him.

One movie in particular sounds promising, titled, A Thousand Words. The premise is quite simple: A blasé guy learns he only has 1,000 words left to speak before he will die.

Here’s hoping at least one of them will leave us laughing.