Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987)

Eddie Murphy in a stand-up performance recorded live. For an hour and a half he talks about his favourite subjects: sex and women.

Director:

Robert Townsend

Writers:

Eddie Murphy (stand-up material), Eddie Murphy (opening sketch)

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Tatyana Ali, Billie Allen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Murphy	...	Self
Tatyana Ali	...	Singing Child (sketch)
Billie Allen	...	Eddie's Aunt (sketch)
Clebert Ford	...	Uncle Lester (sketch)
Geri Gibson	...	Card Player #2 (sketch)
Birdie M. Hale	...	Aunt Rose (sketch)
Tiger Haynes	...	Card Player #3 (sketch)
Leonard Jackson	...	Uncle Gus (sketch)
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Eddie's Uncle (sketch)
Jody Jones	...	Eddie's Cousin (sketch)
Davenia McFadden	...	Eddie's Aunt (sketch)
Gwen McGee	...	Eddie's Mother (sketch)
Lex Monson	...	Card Player #4 (sketch)
Warren Morris	...	Poetry Reader (sketch)
Deon Richmond	...	Little Eddie (sketch)

Storyline

After achieving fame with Saturday Night Live and Beverly Hills Cop, Eddie Murphy released a film version of one of his live stand-up performances. He mainly focuses on the topics of divorce and relations between the sexes, but also goes into some of the problems he's encountered because of fame, including offended listeners and fans who continually greet him with his unprintable catch phrases.

---

Plot Keywords:

reference to bill cosby | stand up | sex | stand up special | shock humor | 

---

Taglines:

WARNING! You may be offended if you're black, white, male, female, rich or poor, Bill Cosby, Mr. T or Richard Pryor.

---

Genres:

Documentary | Comedy

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only Eddie Murphy stand-up special, and one of the few stand-up specials in general, to not be released in audio-only form (LP, cassette, or CD).

---

Goofs

When Murphy does his bit about Johnny Carson's divorce settlement with third wife Joanna Holland, he states that they were married for ten years. It was actually thirteen.

---

Quotes

Eddie Murphy: [imitating his father who is singing Motown songs but messing up the lyrics] If I have to beg and plead to the symphony...
["If I have to beg and plead for your sympathy"]

---

Alternate Versions

When originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a '18' rating. All cuts were waived in 1988 when the film was granted a '18' certificate for home video.

---

Connections

Featured in De wereld draait door: Episode #8.63 (2012)

---

Soundtracks

(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
Written by Otis Redding & Steve Cropper

User Reviews

good stuff

Offensive, crude, infantile, empty. Sure, 'Raw' is all these things. It's also laugh-out- loud funny. This is Eddie Murphy at his best, when he still knew how to make people laugh. He takes the stage and commands for the duration of the film. He's so in control and confident it's amazing. I saw it again recently. It aged well.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Raw

Filming Locations:

Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden - 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,077,324, 20 December 1987

Gross USA:

$50,504,655

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$50,504,655

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eddie Murphy Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1