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Sick Product of a Sick System

Just perfect...

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Masquerading as light comedy, this is actually a really clever satire for what it is. Its better than Wag The Dog and Idiocracy and is an easily digestible version of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Eddie Murphy plays a naive but slightly corrupt huckster who believes getting into office in Washington will give him the kind of cushy job that will pay him well to do very little actual work. When he encounters what the job actually entails, he is forced to question his place in the world and in a heartwarming way achieves what in reality is utterly impossible; doing the right thing in Washington free from the unnecessary corruption that drives it.

Eddie Murphy and political satire. They don't seem to go there. In reality, though, it is Murphy that saves this film. The actual political satire is fairly worn in all forms of entertainment, big business and lobbyists control the government, while some brave insiders fight to preserve the integrity of the institution. This, in a way, is the weakest part of the film. It's not hard hitting enough to provide any real insights but hard enough to sometimes distract from the humour. It doesn't break any new ground but Murphy is charming and funny in his role. He has some good one-liners. The redemption story at the end is, of course, hacked on and expected. How easy it was to expose their corruption, though, only seeks t undermine the previous points about its systematic nature. For all this, it's worth watching for Eddie Murphy's performance.

When Eddie was dressed as a professor to visit the grieving widow, the conversation flowed to obtaining the campaign items and Mrs Johnson did let him have it! Interesting to note, Mrs Johnson admired the Professor's physical fitness. It suggested something to the tone... "My husband never gave me any, since he was doing the secretary, now its MY turn!" If you replay the scene where Eddie Murphy approaches Mrs Johnson of obtaining the campaign items, the flow later suggests she like to hit on a black man. Notice Eddie's "squirmyness" as Mrs Johnson's interest peaks. ;) I could be wrong, but Mrs Johnson likes variety in her men. :)

Let's talk about Eddie Murphy's career, shall we? First off, the 80s movies - Beverly Hills Cop (which I've never seen), 48 Hours (which is OK), Trading Places (which is overrated). Then a batch of movies I really like (although Boomerang is just pointless). Then The Nutty Professor, and it all goes wrong. But this is a great comedy, lots of fun, until it gets political, when it only just stays shy of mawkish to deliver a big finish. But the central premise - of some buffoon con-artist scamming his way to power - is more relevant today than it was then.