When did it all go wrong for Eddie Murphy? It was all wrong from the start.

The man has way too big of an ego for someone who isn’t that good of an actor. Actually, I’m being unfair. He has the potential to be a good actor, but he chooses to be lazy and takes jobs that pay him the most without a care for the quality.

Most of what he does in his movies is mug for the camera and act like Eddie Murphy. Don’t believe me? Coming to America was basically Eddie Murphy with a weird accent and mannerisms. Donkey from Shrek is basically Eddie Murphy in donkey form. The list goes on.

Sometimes he plays more than one role in his movies. None of them are convincing at all. It’s just Eddie Murphy being Eddie Murphy, thinking that he is funny for unconvincingly playing men, women, and children who look and act a lot like him like he did in The Nutty Professor.

Then we have roles where Eddie Murphy actually tries to act, and gets serious. Then he tries to acquire an Academy Award for taking on a dramatic role like he did on Dreamgirls.

But here’s the truth. The people who run the Academy know that Eddie is lazy, and rightly do not see him as fit for any acting awards. He rewarded them for their foresight by going back to making his terrible comedies, rather than pursuing a more dramatic route.

Sure, he was a legend in his time. He was a great standup comedian and he was great on SNL. Many of his early movies like Trading Places and Doctor Dolittle were also entertaining.

However, people grew tired of his shtick. Coupled with the many controversies he has weathered over the past couple of years, it’s no small wonder why he fell off the face of the Earth.

Now he’s considered a legend.

Don’t believe the hype. Watch any of his films without sound and you will find almost all of them to be dull and boring. He’s not as good a comedic actor as you think.

Do, however, respect his place in pop culture, as one of the most famous comedians of the ’80s. I especially recommend watching his two standup specials, Raw and Delirious.

Other than that, I think he’s overrated.