Honestly, if you ask three different people to name their favorite movies with Eddie Murphy, you are going to get three wildly different answers. One person will swear by the R-rated, leather-clad energy of the 80s. Another will argue that his best work involves wearing five hundred pounds of latex to play an entire dinner table of characters. Then you have the younger crowd who only knows him as a fast-talking donkey or a legendary dragon sidekick.
He is basically the only star who conquered the world, disappeared into a "family movie" phase that confused everyone, and then somehow pulled off one of the greatest late-career comebacks in Hollywood history. It's a weird trajectory. But looking back from 2026, it is clear that Eddie Murphy isn't just a comedian who makes movies—he is a one-man industry.
The 80s Blitz: When Eddie Owned the World
The thing about the early movies with Eddie Murphy is that they weren't just hits. They were cultural earthquakes. You have to remember he was only 21 when 48 Hrs. came out in 1982. Most kids that age are still trying to figure out how to do their own laundry, but Eddie was busy inventing the "buddy cop" genre alongside Nick Nolte.
Then came Trading Places in 1983. It is probably one of the smartest social satires ever made, and it works because Murphy plays Billy Ray Valentine with this specific mix of street-smart cynicism and genuine vulnerability. People always talk about the chemistry with Dan Aykroyd, but the movie really hinges on Eddie’s ability to look at the camera and make the audience feel like they are in on the joke with him.
But the real monster was Beverly Hills Cop (1984). Axel Foley is the role he was born for. Interestingly, the part was originally written for Sylvester Stallone, which would have been a completely different (and probably much grittier) movie. When Eddie stepped in, he brought that infectious laugh and the "banana in the tailpipe" improvisation that turned a standard police flick into the highest-grossing R-rated film of its time.
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Why We Still Talk About Coming to America
If you want to understand the creative DNA of movies with Eddie Murphy, you have to look at Coming to America (1988). This was the first time he really leaned into the "multiple roles" thing that would become his trademark. He wasn't just Prince Akeem; he was Clarence the barber, Saul the Jewish barbershop customer, and Randy Watson, the world's worst soul singer.
It was a tribute to his idol Peter Sellers, but it also showed a level of technical skill most people didn't give him credit for. Rick Baker, the legendary makeup artist, did such a good job that most people didn't even realize it was Eddie under all that prosthetics for half the movie. It’s a fairy tale, sure, but it’s also a masterclass in character acting.
The Mid-Career Identity Crisis
Then things got... experimental. The 90s were a mixed bag. You had Vampire in Brooklyn, which honestly has its fans now but was a total head-scratcher at the time. Then came the "Klump era." The Nutty Professor (1996) was a massive box office win, but it shifted Eddie’s brand toward broad, prosthetic-heavy family comedies.
- The Nutty Professor: A huge technical achievement where he played seven roles.
- Dr. Dolittle: Cemented him as the king of the PG box office.
- Mulan: He voiced Mushu and basically stole the entire movie from the titular hero.
- Bowfinger: This is the one critics love. He plays two roles—a paranoid action star and a nerdy lookalike—and it is arguably his funniest performance of the decade.
The Donkey Phenomenon and the Oscar Snub
By 2001, Eddie Murphy became a household name for a whole new generation, and he didn't even have to show his face. Shrek changed everything. As Donkey, he provided the emotional heart of a franchise that eventually grossed billions. It’s hard to imagine anyone else bringing that much personality to an animated animal.
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Then came Dreamgirls (2006). This is the moment most people realized Eddie could actually act act. His portrayal of James "Thunder" Early was soulful, tragic, and electric. He won the Golden Globe and was the frontrunner for the Oscar, but then Norbit came out right around the time the Academy was voting. A lot of people still believe the backlash to Norbit cost him that trophy. It’s one of the great "what ifs" in cinema history.
The Renaissance: Dolemite and Beyond
For about a decade, it felt like we’d lost the "real" Eddie. He was doing movies like A Thousand Words and Meet Dave that just weren't hitting the mark. But then 2019 happened. Dolemite Is My Name was a passion project he’d been trying to make for years, and it reminded everyone why we fell in love with him in the first place.
He played Rudy Ray Moore with a level of joy that was contagious. Since then, he’s been on a tear. Coming 2 America was a massive streaming hit for Prime Video, and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) proved that he could still carry an action movie in his 60s without missing a beat.
Looking Ahead: What's Next for Eddie?
As of 2026, the Eddie Murphy train isn't slowing down. We know Shrek 5 is on the horizon (scheduled for December 2026), and there is heavy talk about a standalone Donkey spinoff. He’s also been working on The Pickup and a highly anticipated biopic about George Clinton.
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The coolest thing he has coming up is probably the Netflix documentary Being Eddie, which promises an intimate look at how he went from a kid in Brooklyn to a global icon. It’s about time we got the full story.
Actionable Ways to Experience His Best Work
If you’re looking to dive back into movies with Eddie Murphy, don’t just stick to the hits. You’ve got to mix the classics with the deep cuts to really see the range.
- The "Essential" Night: Double feature of 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop. This is peak 80s Eddie—raw, fast, and untouchable.
- The "Technical Masterclass" Night: Watch Bowfinger and then Dolemite Is My Name. You’ll see how he plays multiple versions of himself and how he transitioned into an elder statesman of comedy.
- The "Family" Night: You can't go wrong with the original Shrek or the first Nutty Professor. Just maybe skip the sequels if you want to keep your sanity.
The reality is that Eddie Murphy has survived every trend, every bad review, and every shift in the industry because he is genuinely one of one. He isn't trying to be the "next" anyone. He’s just Eddie. And that’s usually more than enough.
To get the most out of his filmography, start by streaming Dolemite Is My Name on Netflix for his best modern work, then head over to Paramount+ to catch the original Beverly Hills Cop trilogy to see where the legend began.