The Adventures of Pluto Nash

This is just another example of the continuing downward spiral of Eddie Murphy's once exciting career. Murphy will always have scripts handed to him and he'll always be working in films but the once edgy comedian has lost his edge a long time ago. This story takes place in the future where Earth has populated the Moon and a former smuggler named Pluto Nash (Murphy) takes over a nightclub from a friend and Nash makes it a big success and moneymaker. A young woman and aspiring singer named Dina Lake (Rosario Dawson) asks for a job but all Nash gives her is the opportunity to waitress. Some mobsters have been buying up the local business's and they want Nash's club but he won't sell. So they blow the place up and try to kill him but Nash, Dina and a robot named Bruno (Randy Quaid) escape and the mobsters try and find him. This film was directed by Ron Underwood who is usually reliable with lightweight comedy like this but this film fails from the outset. The special effects are adequate but not overly impressive. Many of the scenes are clearly filmed on a soundstage and in one shot Underwood resorts to actors being hoisted by wires for the gravity effect. Didn't they stop doing that in the 60's? And poor Randy Quaid has to play a horny and overly sensitive robot. Were we really suppose to find it amusing that he tries to get it on with other robots? But the big flaw comes from Murphy himself. This once exciting comedian use to be so reliable for edgy performances but here he plays his character totally straight. As you watch this you keep waiting for Murphy to say something witty and off the cuff but it never happens. It looks like Murphy has decided to try and be an action star or be the romantic lead. Murphy has become boring to watch and its sad to watch his films now. Pam Grier pops up as Murphy's mother but she has nothing to do. She has maybe two scenes and then she runs off (Literally). This film wastes opportunities and the script has nothing new to offer. Along with Murphy's boring and drab performance this film was dead on arrival!