'Being Eddie': Netflix doc offers some insight into Murphy's life, but not enough

WHAT IT'S ABOUT Eddie Murphy tells his story in "Being Eddie," a Netflix documentary that tries to offer some insight into the press-shy icon.

The Roosevelt-raised performer goes back to his beginnings, with the movie including a clip of an early stand-up performance at Hofstra University, and he brings us through each step of the familiar biography.

There's the breakout sensation on "Saturday Night Live"; the early movie hits "48 Hrs.," "Trading Places" and "Beverly Hills Cop"; the stand-up specials "Delirious" and "Raw"; the drive to break free of the familiar by directing and starring in "Harlem Nights"; the rebranding with family movie hits like "Shrek" and "The Nutty Professor," and more, straight through to the present.

Director Angus Wall (a two-time Oscar winner for his work editing David Fincher movies) gets Murphy to open up just a bit about the personal side of things, most notably when he addresses his well-documented anger at "Saturday Night Live" that persisted for decades after a "Weekend Update" joke in 1995. Murphy returned to the show as host in 2019.

MY SAY Let's start with an obvious and indisputable observation: Eddie Murphy is one of the most talented people in the history of show business.

He's a first-rate stand-up, a terrific actor who excels in comedic and serious parts (he really should have won that "Dreamgirls" Oscar). He's one of the few people who can play opposite himself many times over, under layers and layers of makeup, while making it seem seamless.

He's also a trailblazer, carving out a path for a multitude of successors by forcing Hollywood and general audiences to recognize that Black performers could be every bit as big and successful across a range of genres as their white counterparts.

Getting the 64-year-old to sit down and actually talk about all of this stands as something of a coup, a minor miracle. 

But then you've got to take a step back when considering "Being Eddie" and to ask yourself a key question: "Did I learn anything while watching this movie?"

The sad answer, generally speaking, is "not much." Murphy remains pretty guarded as an interview subject and there's no indication the filmmaker sought to ask him too many probing questions. 

We don't see much of his everyday life, beyond a family moment or two. We don't see much of him on the job or behind-the-scenes. As amusing as it might be to hear Murphy wax on about getting in touch with his spiritual, artsy side while living in California, it's hardly the most interesting use of the audience's time. 

The interview subjects, everyone from Chris Rock to Dave Chappelle to Massapequa's Jerry Seinfeld, offer platitudes that hail his brilliance and explain exactly what makes him so special.

But we know this already.

BOTTOM LINE There are many worse ways to spend your time than watching Eddie Murphy sitting in a chair and talking about his life and career.