Tower Heist

Eddie Murphy’s career has been on the decline for a while now after flops like Meet Dave and Imagine That, not to mention the critically loathed Norbit as well. In fact, the only think keeping Murphy in the green is the Shrek franchise in which he voices Donkey. Does Tower Heist mark the return of the Eddie Murphy we all once loved or is it just another stepping stone on his way to rock bottom?

When the luxurious millionaire Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) is arrested for fraud, the workers at the apartment complex where he lives are in a state of uproar after finding out that their manager Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) invested the entire pension fund into one of Arthur’s schemes. With no money and nothing left to lose, Josh decides to rob Arthur’s “rainy day” fund and make up for his mistake. The only problem is he and his work associates know nothing about pulling off a heist, especially one as complicated as this.

That’s where Josh’s neighbor and street criminal Slide (Eddie Murphy) comes in. With his knowledge, this robbery just might be plausible. Then again, it may not and they could all end up in jail for a very long time.

Tower Heist plays out like an Ocean’s movie only nobody involved knows what they’re doing. The group of robbers consists of Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick, Michael Peña, and of course, Eddie Murphy. They’re pretty much learning the steps as they go along. Needless to say, things don’t go as smoothly as they would have hoped.

Things quickly escalade to ridiculous levels that defy all odds, including physics itself. Despite this, Tower Heist manages to entertain. Yes folks, Eddie Murphy is back! While he isn’t as funny as he was in Coming to America or as Axel Foley, Murphy delivers on all fronts. He has finally dropped the kid friendly act and has gone back to the style of comedy that made him so funny in the first place. He’s lewd and obnoxious, but his antics will bring a smile to your face.

While Murphy may be the star of the film, Ben Stiller, Michael Peña, and even Gabourey Sidibe provide plenty of laughs. For this type of film, the cast chemistry of the cast is fantastic. Towards the end, the film shifts into something more unbelievable involving a car, a crane, and a long way down. It’s a little bit ridiculous but you quickly learn to accept it and move on. Besides, it doesn’t take away from the comedy involved.

In the end, Tower Heist successfully delivers a laugh out loud comedy and more importantly, marks the return of Eddie Murphy. With him scheduled to host the upcoming 2012 Academy Awards, things couldn’t look better. 

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