Dreamgirls, 2006

Dreamgirls, 2006
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Daniel Glover, Jennifer Hudson


Stage: Home TV selection, Sunday night


Dreamgirls in short: Detroit, the early 1960s. Curtis Taylor, Jr., a car salesman, breaks into the music business with big dreams. He signs a trio of young women, the Dreamettes, gets them a job backing an R&B performer, James "Thunder" Early, establishes his own record label and starts wheeling and dealing. When Early flames out, Curtis makes the Dreamettes into headliners as the Dreams, but not before demoting their hefty big-voiced lead singer, Effie White, and putting the softer-voiced looker, Deena Jones, in front. Soon after, he fires Effie, sends her into a life of proud poverty, and takes Deena and the Dreams to the top. How long can Curtis stay there, and will Effie ever get her due?


Preps: Hm. Beyonce? Eddie Murphy? The beginning scene draws my attention really fast.


Reality: Two oscars: for sound mixing and Jennifer Hudson. Perfect role for her, I must admit. I am not so convinced about the two main - Beyonce and Eddie aren't that perfect as I have expected.
This is a makeover of a musical and as such, filled with good music. This is the least you expect of one :) Apart from that usually it conveys a dream come true or a dream pursue of someone on chase for music, love or something extremely emotional. This piece pursues a dream of three girls coming to stage night after night without a success until they find a manager that turns them into a product. Takes a step beyond and selects one of the former back singers to sing front voice and chases top lead singer in the back. Thus, the rivalry becomes obvious, envy takes place and confrontations between three friends begin. Jennifer Hudson is brilliant with her interpretations and emotional approach, the director takes her safely home from every scene where she bursts out.
Eddie Murphy is taken in the back, after the three girls drift away from his cover. All in all I don't really appreciate his performance and would love to see him in different roles I am used to. I don't think he pulled all from this one. Undoubtfully the music is good, however, I am annoyed because it's quite obvious that everything is filmed with a matrix or without the real singing. I really despise that at any show., and I am quite sure that a movie can be made with a true genuine feeling and without playback. Here it's pretty obvious.

The story about fame and glory, its ups and downs. Its pluses and minuses. All the way. You will adore the music. And you will be on the watch for Beyonce. A fine dame, indeed. With a superb voice. However, this isn't a musical. Either make a musical or don't. This is a normal movie up to its third. After that, like the director couldn't make up his mind or was just reminded he was doing a remake of a musical. It's not a problem if this is not a musical. So make the normal movie. Just don't pretend you are supposed to make a musical and throw a few scenes just for the sake of genre.
You will adore the feeling of the 60ies and the music that goes with it.

My personal rating: 6,0 (good music, fairly good interaction between the actors. Especially if you are a fan of music, don't miss it. However, it's far beyond what you would expect from a musical).

Dreamgirls on IMDB

Daddy Day Care, 2003

Daddy Day Care, 2003
Director: Steve Carr
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, Anjelica Houston

Stage: home TV selection, nice Wednesday evening






Daddy Day care in short: In the comedy Daddy Day Care, two fathers lose their jobs in product development at a large food company and are forced to take their sons out of the exclusive Chapman Academy and become stay-at-home fathers. With no job possibilities on the horizon, the two dads open their own day care facility, "Daddy Day Care", and employ some fairly unconventional and sidesplitting methods of caring for children.


Preps: I have seen this for several times now. It obviously comes every now and then again to the screen. As I am a huge fan of Eddie Murphy, it's almost a must see.

Reality: This is not one of Murphy's victories. I could claim it a sweet family movie, but unfortunately nothing more. It's not even close to Murphy's knees, speaking from a perspective, when a fan has seen most of his movies, his stand up's, his talk shows, etc. I believe he's one of the people that put a name to the comedy. Well, in this movie I have a good feeling that he just needed some money and luckily enough, loved the genre. He does create magic with children on screen. Nevertheless, he turns out a bigger clown he really is. So no real acting here, from none of the actors. But the expressions of the kids and their faces are more or less genuine, as they are so young.
The story itself is impressive and should serve as an example in times of recession. Losing a job might not be such a disaster, if you think about some niche or something you might be good at. You just as well may find yourself indulging this and loving it. As these characters did. The message of the story is great, if you look at it from growing kid's perspective. Putting a three year old to five different language courses, sporting lessons, violine, choir, etc.. well it might be an overload. Daddy day Care on the other hand makes things as they have once been at grandmothers or grandfather's day care. This means that childhood remains childhood. And that time with the kid is more important than career, making money to buyoff time you haven't spend with your child. A good story and a good moral at the end.


My personal rating: 5,0 ( see it for the message sake, not for a good movie sake. And Murphy has some brilliant moments. Apart from that, not worthy of your time..)


Daddy Day Care on IMDB

Coming to America, 1988

Coming to America, 1988
Director: John Landis
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones


Stage: Home TV selection on a good evening


Preps: None, I have seen this many times and this just brings good memories. I have seen this for the first time at the movies, when being a child and I simply adored Eddie Murphy.


Coming to America in short: It is the 21st birthday of Prince Akeem of Zamunda and he is to marry a woman he never saw before. Now the prince breaks with tradition and travels to America to look for the love of his life.


Reality: Wow, it sure brings the memories.. I am eager to see this again. I remember the scene where a nice girl pops out of the water, claiming "The royal penis is clean" and remember that when being a child I really thought this was the type of treatment I would get if I were a princess. Very naive, I must say. Even though it's long after seeing this for the first time, it laughs me still and has a solid humour. A good story could be brought into these days, just with some slight adjustments. It is still real, that a father doesn't want his daughter to marry a poor and undecent man (or not a famous man in this case) and that his mind completely changes and goes bizerk about the guy when he finds out he's rich. In this sense, this story could have been taken in present time.

The roles that Murphy covers, are spectacular and were a breaking point at that period. You couldn't imagine how many different characters he and Arsenio Hall covered. It was just amazing and Murphy - although having second attempts with other movies, in my opinion never covered the task quite as efficient as in this movie. He had a lot of copy cats (for instance Martin in Big momma's house is the same thing - one actor playing many roles) - which means, he was in some aspects, the trend setter.

The movie is simply entertaining and fun to watch over and over again. Who wouldn't at least dream a bit about royal treatment at some point in your life? It brings several other obstacles (like selecting a bride, which is still the case in many countries globally).. but nevertheless, I wouldn't mind switching for a period with Akeem's perspective. In any case, only royalty could be so excited about working as a cleaning guy :)


My personal rating: 8,0 (fun to watch again and again. You will love Murphy every step of the way).

Coming to America on IMDB

Shrek Forever After, 2010

Shrek Forever After, 2010
Director: Mike Mitchell
Cast: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Eddie Murphy



Stage: Local Colloseum (Local theatre)

Preps: Hmmmm, Slovenia has a huge commercial background for this one. You can collect multiple things to receive marketing materials, where Shrek is - cups, badges, fluffy animals, campaign is really great and if it happened two months before the actual movie, I believe the movie would be even a greater success as it already is. Long time expected, the final part of this animated classic, that set standards for an animated movie with its first part in 2001. I wanted to see this badly as I am a bit of an addict to such movies. And who can resist Eddie Murphy as the Donkey and Banderas as the Puss?


Reality: It is really hard to make the fourth sequel of a great hit. The same problem is with Ice Age. With so many movies out we are very picky and very talented to criticize without a perticular reason. The worst thing is to make a sequel just because you feel you have to. Every sequel has to have a story. After all, not everyone can make Die Hard (and have three good ones), or Rambo's to some extention.

In any case, this piece is innovative and fresh, it offers a complete different perspective of an oger life, from what it used to be, to what it has evolved into now, with all the trivial problems that don't seem problems any more once Shrek loses them. He offends his wife, signs a contract with a devil and works his way through the movie to win his life back. He suddenly starts to appreciate what he thought was a curse for him. Funny, and that is precisely the way our lives work in a way, don't you agree?

So we look this struggle, meet other ogers, meet finally the Donkey and Puss, in their best condition - they make me laugh the whole time. I just cannot resist Murphy, I can practically see his gestures through Donkey's big teeth smile and Banderas when clapping the boots that crack of the fat he posesses within a cat's body.

There aren't any overeaters in terms of scenography, special effects, or something that would get my mind to focus on this. However, the music is good (especially the one that the Donkey is singing), the idea of the witches is great, and the theme - to be able to change something in your life and then find a noble way to win it back - it's really modern and you can personalize in it.


One of the greatest scenes :) You need to see it!

Donkey: Why don't you just tell her what you told me? You know, about how you're her true love and you came from an alternate universe.

Shrek: Oh, and while I'm at it, why don't I tell her that you're married to a fire breathing dragon and you have little mutant donkey dragon babies?
Donkey: I do?

Shrek: You saw what happened. She's going to think I'm crazy.

Donkey: I'm a daddy?



My personal rating:7,0 (better than I expected and on some levels, the greatest achievement for an animated picture. The main theme evolves and in a way, touches some questions we might have when being in the same situation - the post marital life and being able to appreciate what you have when you lose it). I think you will really enjoy it :)

Shrek on IMDB
Official site

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