Murphy’s Law
‘Harlem Nights’ Is Comedy’s Most Overrated Cult Classic
How revisionist history saved Eddie Murphy’s 1989 all-star gangster flop
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
A few weeks ago, I aired a few controversial takes on Twitter. Nothing crazy, but also stuff you’d imagine would meet with some pushback. Derek Jeter was overrated. Scarface is really a comedy. Steph Curry didn’t deserve two MVP Awards. Beyoncé did not have a legit across-the-board classic album until Lemonade. 1999 > Purple Rain.
Weirdly, most people just agreed or disagreed. No rage, no caps lock ranting. It was downright civil in there.
At least until I mentioned that Harlem Nights was a disappointment. You would’ve thought I said Vanilla Ice was better than Rakim.
Thing is, I pulled the punch. The truth is that Harlem Nights is unmitigated trash. Yes, Harlem Nights. The 1989 crime farce written, directed, and executive-produced by Eddie Murphy remains one of the most frustrating, monumental letdowns in Black cinematic history.
Today, Harlem Nights has a paltry 21% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But since its…
