Honestly, if you only know Eddie Murphy from Beverly Hills Cop or the donkey in Shrek, you’re missing the weirdest, quietest, and most polarizing pivot of his entire career. The Mr Church 2016 movie didn't just fly under the radar; it basically lived in a subterranean bunker. When it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, the room was divided. Critics sort of hated it. Audiences, or at least the ones who actually found it, mostly loved it. It’s a strange, sentimental beast that feels like it was filmed in 1994 and then sat in a vault for twenty years.
The movie isn't a comedy. Not even a little bit.
It’s a drama about a cook. But really, it’s a story about a man who creates a family out of thin air because the one he was born into—well, we never really find out much about that. That's the core mystery that keeps people arguing about this film ten years after it dropped.
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The Backstory of Henry Joseph Church
Bruce Beresford directed this. You might remember him from Driving Miss Daisy. He has a "type." He likes stories about unlikely friendships that bridge social gaps, and Mr. Church fits that mold perfectly, maybe even too perfectly for some people. The script was written by Susan McMartin, and here is the kicker: it’s based on her real life. This isn't some manufactured Hollywood "save the day" trope. She actually grew up with a man named Henry Joseph Church who was hired to cook for her and her dying mother and ended up staying for fifteen years.
The premise is heavy. Marie Brody (played by Natasha McElhone) is a single mom with breast cancer. She’s got six months to live. Her deceased lover’s will provides her with a cook to see her through her final days. Enter Eddie Murphy as Mr. Church. He shows up with a grocery bag and a set of knives, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else but also like he’s the only person in the room who knows how to boil an egg.
He stays. He stays long after those six months are up.
Why Eddie Murphy Took the Risk
For Murphy, this was a massive departure. He had spent years in the "family comedy" wilderness (Norbit, anyone?) and clearly wanted to remind people he could actually act. He’s restrained here. He uses his eyes more than his mouth. It’s a performance of silence. Think about how hard that is for a guy who became the biggest star on the planet by being the loudest person in the room.
People forget that Murphy is an Oscar nominee. He has range. In the Mr Church 2016 movie, he plays a man who is a virtuoso at everything—jazz piano, classic literature, French cuisine—but a total failure at vulnerability. He has "envelopes." He has secrets. He has a rule: "Don't ask me about my life outside this house."
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It’s a fascinating character study even if the movie around it feels a bit like a Hallmark card. The tension between his domestic perfection and his midnight drinking bouts in a jazz club is where the real meat of the story lies. You see the cracks in the porcelain.
The "Magical Negro" Controversy
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. A lot of critics shredded this movie because they felt it leaned into the "Magical Negro" trope—the idea of a Black character who exists solely to solve the problems of white protagonists. It’s a valid critique in a vacuum. But when you look at McMartin’s actual life, it gets complicated. How do you tell your own truth if your truth happens to look like a cinematic cliché?
The film tries to subvert this by showing that Church needed the Brodys just as much as they needed him. He was a man running away from a broken relationship with his father. He was a man who didn't know how to exist without a purpose. Is it perfect? No. Is it sentimental? Heavily. But the chemistry between Murphy and Britt Robertson (who plays the daughter, Charlie) feels earned. It doesn't feel like a studio mandate; it feels like two lonely people finding a rhythm.
That Soundtrack and the Jazz Influence
If you’re a jazz fan, the Mr Church 2016 movie hits different. The score is lush. Church’s character is defined by his love for the piano. There’s a scene where he’s playing in a smoky bar, and for a second, you forget it’s Eddie Murphy. You just see a man who is trying to drown out his own history with notes and chords.
The film treats cooking and music as the same language. The way Church chops vegetables is rhythmic. The way he plates food is like a composition. It’s one of those movies that makes you want to go out and buy a heavy cast-iron skillet and a bunch of fresh herbs immediately after the credits roll.
The Dynamics of the Household
- Marie: The mother who refuses to die on schedule.
- Charlie: The kid who starts out resentful and ends up as Church's protector.
- Mr. Church: The enigma in a white apron.
The timeline jumps around. We see Charlie grow from a skeptical child to a struggling college student to a mother herself. Through all of it, Church is the anchor. But anchors are heavy, and they sit in the mud. The movie doesn't shy away from the fact that Church’s devotion to this family might have been a way to avoid his own demons.
Production Reality vs. Cinematic Polish
This wasn't a big-budget flick. It was shot in about 27 days. You can feel that intimacy. It’s mostly set in one house, which makes it feel like a play. Some people found it claustrophobic. Others found it cozy.
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The lighting is always golden. It’s that perpetual California afternoon sun that makes everything look better than it actually is. This is deliberate. It’s a memory piece. When we remember people we loved who are gone, we don't remember them in 4K high-contrast realism. We remember them in that soft, hazy glow. That’s what Beresford was aiming for.
Why the Critics Were Wrong (and Right)
The Rotten Tomatoes score for the Mr Church 2016 movie is abysmal—somewhere in the 15% to 20% range. Meanwhile, the audience score is usually hovering around 75% or higher. Why the massive gap?
Critics generally hate sentimentality. They see it as emotional manipulation. They wanted more grit. They wanted to see more of Church’s "real" life in the Black community of Los Angeles, which the movie mostly ignores. They felt the movie was sanitized.
Audiences, however, often just want to feel something. They responded to the idea of "chosen family." In a world where families are often fractured and messy, the idea of a stranger showing up and becoming your rock is incredibly powerful. It’s a "comfort food" movie. It’s the cinematic equivalent of beef stew on a rainy day. It might not be avant-garde, but it fills you up.
Looking Back a Decade Later
The Mr Church 2016 movie stands as a weird monument in Eddie Murphy’s filmography. It’s the bridge between his "big" years and his "prestige" comeback in Dolemite Is My Name. Without Mr. Church, I’m not sure we get the nuanced, older, wiser Murphy we see today. He needed to prove he could hold a frame without a prosthetic suit or a catchphrase.
It’s also a reminder that mid-budget dramas for adults have basically vanished from theaters. Today, this would be a Netflix original that you’d see on the "Trending Now" rail for two weeks and then forget. Seeing it as a theatrical release felt like a throwback even back in 2016.
Actionable Insights for Viewers
If you’re going to watch the Mr Church 2016 movie for the first time, or revisit it, here is how to get the most out of it:
- Watch it for the craft: Ignore the "white savior" or "magical negro" tropes for a moment and just watch Murphy’s physical acting. Look at how he handles the kitchen tools. Look at his posture. It’s a masterclass in subtlety.
- Research the real Susan McMartin: Knowing that this actually happened—that there was a real Mr. Church—changes the emotional weight of the film. It moves it from "unrealistic fantasy" to "one woman's specific tribute."
- Check out the soundtrack: The jazz selections are top-tier. It’s a great entry point if you’re looking to get into West Coast jazz.
- Prepare for the "Secret": The movie hinges on Church's privacy. Pay attention to the small clues about his father and his past. It’s not all spelled out for you, and that’s the best part.
The movie isn't perfect. It’s messy and sweet and occasionally frustrating. But as a piece of Eddie Murphy history, the Mr Church 2016 movie is essential. It’s the moment the funniest man in America decided to be the most serious man in the room, and even if the critics didn't buy it, the performance holds up.
Go find a copy. Grab some tissues. Make sure you aren't hungry when you start, because the food scenes will ruin you. It’s a quiet film that deserves a bit more noise.
Next Steps for Film Buffs:
Check the availability of Mr. Church on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime or Roku Channel, where it frequently appears. After watching, compare Murphy’s performance here to his work in Dreamgirls to see the two different ways he handles dramatic "straitjacket" roles—one explosive, one internal. Finally, look up the photography of the 1970s Los Angeles suburbs to see how accurately the film captured the specific "sun-drenched" look of that era's architecture.