Delayed Reaction: The Distinguished Gentleman

The Pitch: Mr. Murphy Goes to Washington

How I Came Into It: There's a period when Eddie Murphy was king. It was never that he could do no wrong. There was Harlem Nights after all. Coming out of the 80s with 2 franchises like Beverly Hills Cop and 48 Hours, individual successes like Trading Places and Coming to America, and even a highly successful standup movie, Eddie Murphy Raw, The Distinguished Gentleman came out in a time of transition. It wasn't long before his career was fat suits and Donkey voices. The man was still barely 30 at the time somehow.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Despite everything, I liked this. It's a simple farce that doesn't worry about its greatest logical leap (him managing to get elected) and quickly moves to a nihilistic view of the corruption in politics. Nearly every beat is predictable, but Murphy is engaged enough that I still found enough to like.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I find it funny how often people misappropriate the issue with big government (the problem isn't the lobbyists giving the handouts, it's the amount of power given to a system that can be so easily bought, but whatever. A rant for another day). Not enough of this was clever enough for satire nor big enough for farce. It seems to hold back in a lot of places and even tries to take itself seriously toward the end. Thomas Jefferson Johnson tricks himself into thinking he's a real congressman by the end and the movie thinks it's really a Frank Capra movie.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend