EDDIE MURPHY: RAW (1987)
Label: Paramount
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 90 Minutes 25 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Robert Townsend
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Samuel L. Jackson, Deon Richmond, Damien Wayans
Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) is the second stand-up comedy film from the riotous comedian, directed by Robert Townsend, it opens with a sketch of young Eddie (played by Deon Richmond (The Cosby Show) doing stand-up for family members (featuring Murphy himself as his father and Samuel L. Jackson as his uncle) in the living room, shocking them with humor about farts and doo-doo. Then we get Eddie walking out on stage at the Felt Forum in New York City to what looks (and sounds) to be a sold-out crowd. Murphy was at his absolute peak here and he doesn't disappoint, launching into his spitfire comedy with celebrity impressions including Michael Jackson, Mr. T and most famously Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor as he recounts receiving an irate phone call from (pre-rape revelation) Bill Cosby who is tired of Murphy's "filth, flarn ,filth,". He also gets into his views on homosexuality, the '80s dating scene with STDs that will make your dick shoot fire, and observations about marriage and divorce, using Johnny Carson's then current divorce as an example, stating that "no pussy is worth 150 million dollars!", and how he is going to Africa to look for a "bush bitch", and how the influence of American women would probably even ruin that. We also get the "welfare burger" routine, a tasty call back to Delirious's "you ain't got no ice cream" bit where he recounts how his mom would reply with "we got burgers at home" when he would ask for McDonalds, which as a kid I found the most relatable.
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Samuel L. Jackson, Deon Richmond, Damien Wayans
Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) is the second stand-up comedy film from the riotous comedian, directed by Robert Townsend, it opens with a sketch of young Eddie (played by Deon Richmond (The Cosby Show) doing stand-up for family members (featuring Murphy himself as his father and Samuel L. Jackson as his uncle) in the living room, shocking them with humor about farts and doo-doo. Then we get Eddie walking out on stage at the Felt Forum in New York City to what looks (and sounds) to be a sold-out crowd. Murphy was at his absolute peak here and he doesn't disappoint, launching into his spitfire comedy with celebrity impressions including Michael Jackson, Mr. T and most famously Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor as he recounts receiving an irate phone call from (pre-rape revelation) Bill Cosby who is tired of Murphy's "filth, flarn ,filth,". He also gets into his views on homosexuality, the '80s dating scene with STDs that will make your dick shoot fire, and observations about marriage and divorce, using Johnny Carson's then current divorce as an example, stating that "no pussy is worth 150 million dollars!", and how he is going to Africa to look for a "bush bitch", and how the influence of American women would probably even ruin that. We also get the "welfare burger" routine, a tasty call back to Delirious's "you ain't got no ice cream" bit where he recounts how his mom would reply with "we got burgers at home" when he would ask for McDonalds, which as a kid I found the most relatable.
Years before either Delirious or Raw were at the theater or on VHS I fondly recall audio cassettes of Eddie Murphy's self-titled and Comedian (1982) comedy albums secretly making the rounds at my middle-school. I forget who brought it in but it was being borrowed daily, passed from one kid to the next on the bus, and one day it was finally my turn after hearing kids recite his routines. It's not something I could have listened to on the stereo in the family room, I think I was only 12 at the time, so my parents might have freaked out, maybe not, they were pretty cool. Anyway, I listed to it on a cassette tape player (no a Sony Walkman, I was too poor for that), under my pillow at night when I was supposed to be sleeping, trying not to laugh too loud for fear of being caught - to this day it's such an indelible memory from my youth, and was my introduction to stand-up comedy albums, outside of watching whoever David Letter or Johnny Carson might have on their late-night shows. By the time Murphy came out with Delirious and Raw he was already a comedy super-star, having broke out on a national level with Saturday Night Live and then into movie with 48 Hrs, Trading Places,
and Beverly Hills Cop. Along the way he stopped doing stand-up, lost a bit of his vulgar edge as he did more family friendly stuff (Shrek, Dr. Doolittle, The Haunted Mansion), and deprived the world of his profanity riddle comedy. But he returned in fine form with Dolemite Is My Name (2019), then Coming 2 America (2021), You People (2023) and the recent Candy Cane Lane (2023), plus a new Beverly Hills Cop coming this year, but he's never returned to the stage for stand-up. I don't know if he's still git it in him, but I would fucking love to see Murphy come back just one time for a full-throttled, no-holds barred stand-up special - put that fucker on Pay-Per-View or a higher tiered streaming premium and I will be there for it. If he doesn't, oh well, we still have Delirious and Raw, two of the all-time best comedy specials of all-time.
Audio/Video: Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) arrived on Blu-ray from Paramount Pictures in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1) looking quite solid. Easily advancing over the now digitally ancient DVD I have had for years with bolder colors and much improved depth and clarity. Grain is course but uniform, the source is in terrific shape. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. The stereo track is clean and well-balanced, the roar of the crowd and music come through with some real presence. There are no extras whatsoever on this single disc release, which arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork.
Special Features:
- None
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