Customer Reviews

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I saw the original VHS years ago when it came out and it was great. So how come in this day and age of DVD digital storage does this DVD come off as a total rip off? Let me explain: Firstly, it's not complete I mean where is "James Brown is Annie", "Kill the White People" and other sketches contained on the original VHS cassette? Since one can store more on a DVD than a VHS why didn't the producers of this DVD not make a simple transferral of the VHS cassette? As a consumer one expects quality and since many of the VHS excerpts are missing how can you possibly refer to it as The Best of Eddie Murphy (Bonus Edition) when the VHS format from years ago was vastly superior?

I don't understand why this DVD collection is at least not a verbatim copy of the VHS cassette. They could of then added extras to it and hailed it as something special. I'm sure there would have been enough space on the DVD to incorprate all of the VHS cassette and then some extras making it a DVD worth having.

As it stands I now have to buy the original VHS cassete in order to enjoy my favourite sketches of Eddie Murphy. Thereby having good video quality (DVD) alongside an outdated format of inferior quality (VHS) and paying double the money.

I'm pretty sure Eddie Murphy had nothing to do with the production of this DVD he probably does not own the rights to his SNL years.I find it an insult to him and to the consumer not to give the public the best possible product which in this day and age is possible.

I regret having bought the DVD version and had I known sketches were missing I would not have purchased it at all.

Sincerely
Mick

First off, I love Eddie Murphy. In my opinion, he's one of the more brilliant talents to come out of SNL. But it's a crying shame that sketches that were included on the original VHS version of "Eddie Murphy: Best of SNL" have been deleted from the DVD version. My particular favorite piece (Eddie playing a rastafarian singing "we're gonna kill da white people" at a meeting of mostly white VFW members) is NOT on this DVD along with a number of others. Have the SNL folks suddenly become squeamish and politically correct - I can only assume that such cowardice and overly correct behavior is at the root of such an obvious ommission. After having owned the VHS version, I can honestly say that I regret having purchased the DVD. I would return it if I could. Listen to the other viewers and don't be fooled.

Like many of the other reviewers I feel cheated. Anything contoversial was left out. As a dumb suburban honkey myself, I demand the reissue of this dvd with "Kill the White People". What good are all those funny sketches if SNL doesn't have the balls to put them on dvd?

I also didn't read any reviews as I assumed I was getting the same product that was put on vhs years ago. Instead I got scammed. What's even worse is the "bonus scene" is the Opie Cunningham interview which was already on the original vhs. Please explain how this is a bonus.

I was furious when the movie ended. The least they can do is put out a part 2. I thought I was buying the Cadillac of comedy. Instead I got the Ford Pinto of crap.

I have NEVER posted a review here before, but I was so disappointed in this DVD that I just had to speak on it.
Ok, this is a reissue of this DVD and it is missing so many skits from the original that it isn't even funny. Just a few of the missing skits:
1. Kill the white people.
2. There are NO Gumby skits.
3. There is only one Mr Robinson's Neighborhood skit where there should have been three.
4. White people slavery town with Stevie Wonder.
There are more, but I can't name them all. If you can find the ORIGINAL buy it and buy it quickly. You will laugh until you wet yourself. You will remember what the golden age of SNL was really about. Don't waste your money on this poor imitation.

Don't get me wrong this is classic stuff. Besides Joe Piscopo - Eddie Murphy saved SNL during the early 80's. BUT - Does anybody remember Eddie doing an absolutely amazing impression of JERRY LEWIS?? Where is this sketch at?? He played a younger Jerry Lewis and Joe Piscopo played an older version and it is called 'Jerry Lewis's School of Comedy' or something like that. It is one of the funniest sketches in SNL history. Eddie played Jerry so dead-on perfect that he actually caused Joe to stop the sketch and bust out laughing at one point - its hilarious! :D That and Eddie did a lot of Gumby skits that was funnier than what is on the DVD. I dont think SNL did this justice at all. And where was 'KILL THE WHITE PEOPLE' at??? Or what about 'Ugly People Sex'?? Shame on SNL.

If it wasn't for Eddie Murphy, "Saturday Night Live" would have gone under in the early 1980s'. He managed to shine through even the worst sketches with an excellent sense of timing and stellar acting.

"The Best Of Eddie Murphy" basically collects Eddie's most memorable moments from the show, including three Buckwheat bits, Gumby's "Merry Christmas, Dammit!" (unfortunately this sketch is severely edited), "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood" "Pudge And Solomon" (with Joe Piscopo, the only other truly talented regular during the 1980-84 seasons), Velvet Jones and the short film "White Like Me" in which Eddie goes undercover as a white man. To entice hardcore fans who religiously watched the show just for Eddie every week, they've included rare sketches like "Big Damn Plastic Bubble" and "Rock And Roll And Then Some" (with Eddie as a black man claiming to be the fifth Beatle). All of these sketches are lively and hilarious.

To be fair, this dvd does not include all of Eddie's best. There are no "Focus On Film" sketches with Raheem Abdoul Mohammed (a character Eddie played 10 times) or any of his Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby or Mr. T impressions. However, what's here is here and what's here is hilarious.

This DVD has collected most of the best moments compiled on the VHS best-of Eddie Murphy version that came out circa the late 80s, but is missing a few moments that could have easily been fit in.

1) The Eddie Murphy "Ronald Reagan is my father" skit, which has Murphy pleading for his father to return, talking about how the last time he saw him was when he asked him to get some cereal, and he never came back.

2) Where Eddie Murphy interviews Ron Howard about his new movie, but Murphy can't get over that Ron Howard once played Opie on The Andy Griffiths Show, frustrating Howard.

3) Where Eddie Murphy and Stevie Wonder do a commercial for something called similar to Plantation Land, where people can go and pick cotton, being treated like slaves.

4) A talent show at a veterans post, with Tyrone and his Reggae Band, where Eddie Murphy plays the lead singer singing some hilarious lines I probably can't mention here, so I won't, but it would also ruin the humor. but let's just say the crowd is mad, and starts to leave. Murphy manages to both show the honesty in reggae music, and also make fun of reggae itself.

5) Popeil's Galactic Prophylactic, a superstrong condom that can last decades and be passed down generation to generation. ultra-hilarious.

So the DVD version is funny, but it's too bad they couldn't find room for these. rather disappointing. The DVD is still worth getting, but try finding a copy of the videotape.

Twenty-six years ago, New York City introduced a weekly program that offered a range of live, staged satires and up-to-date humorous accounts and depictions of broad topics that built their foundations on contemporary issues, such as politics, the entertainment industry and promotions. This then-subtle program, Saturday Night Live, proceeded to light up the Neilson boards, despite it's awkward presentation of showtimes.

After a promising half-decade of success, give or take, SNL opened it's arms to 19 year-old funnyman Eddie Murphy. For the next few years, the young adult worked his magic on sketches that include Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood, an irresistable laughfest that spoofed Mr. Roger's Neighborhood by placing a rude, self-centered young man in a lower class apartment, where he taught children how to be judgmental and critical of everyone. The two episodes of Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood featured on the videotape exemplify exactly what great comedy is: a well-thought dialogue with substance and dignity that leads the viewer(s) to laugh so hard, he/she may be prompted to shed tears or even choke.

When it comes to the household characters that Eddie Murphy rewarded us with during his tenure on SNL, an older, more vocal Buckwheat of The Little Rascals stepped up to the plate and hit a home run in comedy. There was an uncanny resembelence in physical appearance and in age progression. One can't help but laugh at Buckwheat's ability to stammer and struggle with the English language. In the SNL History Book, Eddie Murphy's portrayal of Buckwheat will forever reign as the symbol of suitable and funny latenight comedy.

When speaking of Eddie's latenight career, his imitation of Stevie Wonder ranks third. Eddie perfectly interprets the surreal and peculiar common movements and the musical brilliance of Stevie Wonder. During the real Wonder's days of fame, spectators globally adored his music, but questioned his unconventional movements. Some fans pondered what went on through his head, as he performed (did his motions help him or were they uncontrollable?, et cetera). Eddie showed us Stevie Wonder, from the inside and from the outside. Acting today struggles to be that convincing and effective when one actor portrays a public figure.

And if these three practically flawless works of Eddie Murphy weren't enough, prepare to laugh consistently with his mocking of Gumby and Richard Simmons, just to identify a few.

The vast majority of this videocassette delivers jokes that are appropriate for younger audiences, with occasional exceptions (Velvet Jones). The often offensive and utterly disgusting SNL of the 21st Century could learn much from Eddie Murphy's displays of talent that he fills us with in 'Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy.' In general terms of the comedy genre, this single tape is the Edmonton Oilers of humor.

this one isnt nearly as good as the one that came out in 1989. there have been like 3 different versions of this video and the paramount one from 1989 is ten times better than this. i got that like 5 years ago and it is a hell of alot better than this. i dont know why they stopped making it, its one of eddies best movies. anyway dont buy this one, get the older one from paramount video if you can find it. go to ebay, they probably got some old used copies.

I, like a lot of us, have grown a little weary of Eddie's movies in the late '80's and through the 90's. Watch this video, however, and you'll remember why this man became famous in the first place. Buckwheat sings. The Rastafarian sings "kill the white people". The pimp sells his self-help book, "I Wanna Be A Ho". Jesse Jackson sings "Himeytown". He didn't pull any punches. If you haven't seen Eddie's SNL material since he was on the show all those years ago, you must give this a look.