Eddie Murphy: Raw

This is not quite as funny as Delirious, but nothing could be. However, it is still is one of the funniest stand-ups around. The first half an hour is on par with his previous stand-up. The first half an hour he does impressions of some of the same people he did impressions of in DELIRIOUS. This includes Michael Jackson and Mr. T again. He also does impressions of what I can only surmise has to be a real life phone call from Bill Cosby. This is one of the funniest parts of the show as his voice and idiosyncrisies of Bill are right on. His ensuing conversation with Richard Pryor is also quite funny.

There is also some great bits in here about women, dating, and marriage. And while many people have claimed that Eddie is nothing but a misogynist with his rantings now, it has to be said that there has to be some truth to what he is ranting about.

The show does lack a little near the end but that is okay because the rest of the show is one hilarious skit after the other. He even takes on his parents again and does quite a good job.

Raw is not quite as funny as Delirious but it is a great follow up to his first one.

7 out of 10

Offensive, crude, infantile, empty. Sure, 'Raw' is all these things. It's also laugh-out- loud funny. This is Eddie Murphy at his best, when he still knew how to make people laugh. He takes the stage and commands for the duration of the film. He's so in control and confident it's amazing. I saw it again recently. It aged well.

There was once a day when everything Eddie Murphy said and did was hee-larious. Back in 1987, at the height of his powers, Eddie released a movie version of his stand-up act Raw, a sort of follow-up to 1983's Delirious.

Film at New York's Felt Room, Eddie discusses Mr T, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor (doing faultless impressions of all), Johnny Carson's costly divorce, relationships, gays, a home-made McDonalds burger that ruined his childhood etc. It's all pure comedy gold. After about half an hour you'll realize that the reason your face hurts so much is because you're smiling too hard. My favorite moment has to be any impression Eddie does of the average white guy, especially the 'white dude dancing' moment.

Where did this Eddie Murphy go and who is the man that gives us kiddie drek such as Daddy Day Care and Haunted Mansion? If you need a major dose of Eddie in his prime then check this one out. I promise you'll love it and you'll be quoting it for days.

Look out for a youthful Samuel L. Jackson and Basil Wallace as Eddie' uncle and dad too.

Imagine: You produce the taping of the show for, let's be generous, for about 1 Million US$. We're talking six to eight cameras. Then you take the show to the theaters and gross a cool 50.000.000 ! This can only work, when you tape Eddie Murphy on stage in on of the best comedy shows ever! Saw it live in L.A. What a great timing the guy has. Get a chance and see the VHS (where is the DVD?) and you'll have the best of times, while you're at it, grab a "momma burger" and a beer.

This movie came out late 1987, and people were dying for a sequel to "Delirious" which was 1983. If you go back and watch Richard Pryor's "live in Concert" or "Here and Now" you see that Eddie used some of Pryor's stuff, but gave it its own shot of himself (In delirious, Murphy does the "bARBQ scene/story" and he describes his aunt falling down the steps. It is the exact same description Pryor does in "Live in Concert" when he describes black women at funerals.) RAW used all the things that made Eddie Murphy famous; his deadon imitations, and his gift for telling stories. I can't even watch Martin Lawrence, DL Hughely, Cedric the Entertainer and a few others without noticing Eddie Murphy's influences right away. People forget how big he was, and how good- wayyy before he started doing bad talking animal movies. There are some debates over which was better Raw or Delirious....they are both hilarious, but you can tell the mindset was much different only 4 years later. In RAW, Murphy compares himself to Johnny Carson, while in Delirious he was just the most popular guy on Saturday Night Live. RAW is one of the best and funniest concert comedies ever, and I dare someone not to laugh out loud when watching it......NOTE: This movie was reviewed in 1987 when it came out by Siskel and Ebert "AT The Movies", which was when they were getting really popular in syndication, and it spurred one of the best on-air disagreements between the two EVER. Siskel likened RAW, and Eddie Murphy overall, as being as funny (or funnier)and outrageous as Pryor, Carlin or Lenny Bruce. He loved the movie. Ebert despised it, and chastised Siskel for being "immature" and he also felt that Murphy's attitudes toward women were patronizing, damaging and even went so far as to call RAW a "pale imitation of a good comedienne". I thought Ebert was nuts at the time, and now that Siskel is dead, I can't find any review of RAW on Ebert's website. I've emailed him numerous times about it, trying to figure out why a movie that was so popular, and not even that long ago, would not be in his database. Does anyone else thinks that sounds fishy?