Family time – Eddie Murphy teams up with Yara Shahidi in the sweet new summer film Imagine That
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New Film: Imagine That
By Kim FrancisAugust 06, 2009
It's been a long time since the one-time risqué comic actor that used to be Eddie Murphy was, frankly, funny.
His roles as Donkey in Shrek and the immensely popular The Nutty Professor aside, not since his heyday in the 1980s has he been able to achieve a laugh ratio worthy of his talent. Back then, he was cracking out classic laughathons such as Trading Places, the Beverley Hills Cop movies and Coming To America. How times have changed.
Since turning his hand to family flicks, Murphy has struggled to find an outlet for his particular brand of humour. But his latest film, Imagine That, hits target with a surprising degree of accuracy. He’s rediscovered his comic touch, implanting it squarely within the family movie genre.
Evan Danielson (Murphy) is a career-focused and mostly absent father.
He sees his responsibility as a dad to his seven-year-old daughter Olivia (Yara Shahidi) as a hindrance; she is little more than an irritant to him – an unwanted distraction and obstruction to his work, and ultimately his life.
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Badly affected by her parents’ separation, she takes to hiding beneath a purple blanket and talking to imaginary friends.
When she starts giving her father – who is suffering a crisis of confidence in his work – apparently nonsensical business advice, he dismisses it as another of her games. When her child-like predictions start coming true, he is forced to pay attention.
Through his eagerness to use her as a tool to further his career, he risks alienating her further but eventually he learns to re-evaluate his priorities.
Judging by Murphy’s recent form, with stinkers like Norbit, Imagine That has all the indicators of another honker but it is – unexpectedly – alright.
Eddie Murphy is – gasp – both funny and charming, and there are even flashes of that comedic brilliance of his, last seen at the tail end of the 1980s, proving that Murphy never really lost it, he simply suffers from a lack of decent material.
And in contrast with many child actors, little Yara Shahidi is actually rather sweet as his daughter and very natural in front of the camera, rather than annoyingly precocious or stiltedly wooden. As a result, she is funny, enchanting and endearing.
A film such as this is often lifted a notch by the performances from its supporting cast. Martin Sheen in particular adds quality and depth to the film. Despite a miniscule role, he is able to both convince as the corporate boss and make us laugh – a marker of his superior talent.
There are several laugh-out-loud moments sprinkled throughout. Crucially, it isn’t sigh-inducing or wincingly twee, or unfunny. Rather, it’s an amusing, well-paced and enjoyably sweet family comedy.
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