Eddie Murphy – 10 Best Movies

By Vlad Zakh · August 11, 2025

Beverly Hills Cop made Eddie Murphy one of the 80s’ biggest movie stars almost overnight, and Dolemite Is My Name proved decades later that he could still deliver a fully committed comic-dramatic lead. 48 Hrs. is the buddy-cop template a whole genre borrowed, Dreamgirls earned him real awards attention, Bowfinger is a sharp Hollywood satire that gets overlooked, and Life pairs him with Martin Lawrence in prison. Shrek, The Nutty Professor, Coming to America and Trading Places round out the list.

Life (1999)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence star in a prison dramedy that pairs them well.

Directed by Ted Demme · 1h 48m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Starz, ALLBLK Apple TV channel, Starz Apple TV channel, ALLBLK Amazon channel , Starz Roku Premium Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Dreamgirls (2006)

IMDb ★ 6.6 RT 79% Metacritic 76

A Motown-style girl group's rise and fracture, told with real musical spectacle.

Directed by Bill Condon · 2h 10m · Rated PG-13

Won 2 Oscars67 wins & 93 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Starz Apple TV channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Bowfinger (1999)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A desperate low-budget filmmaker secretly shoots his movie around an oblivious, paranoid movie star.

Directed by Frank Oz · 1h 37m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

48 Hrs. (1982)

IMDb ★ 6.9 RT 92% Metacritic 71

A cop reluctantly teams up with a fast-talking convict to track down two cop killers.

Directed by Walter Hill · 1h 36m · Rated R

3 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Shrek (2001)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 89% Metacritic 84

A grumpy ogre's swamp is invaded by fairy-tale refugees, forcing him into an unlikely rescue mission.

Directed by Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson · 1h 30m · Rated PG

Won 1 Oscar40 wins & 60 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Nutty Professor (1996)

TMDB ★ 6.0

Eddie Murphy playing an entire family, still an impressive trick.

Directed by Tom Shadyac · 1h 35m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Coming to America (1988)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 71% Metacritic 47

An African prince travels to Queens, New York, in search of a wife who will love him for himself.

Directed by John Landis · 1h 57m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 Oscars5 wins & 5 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: AMC Plus Apple TV channel, YouTube TV, AMC · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Trading Places (1983)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 87% Metacritic 69

Two wealthy brothers swap a commodities broker and a street con artist's lives as a bet, with chaotic results.

Directed by John Landis · 1h 56m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar3 wins & 8 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

TMDB ★ 7.3

Eddie Murphy plays a biographical comeback role that reminded everyone what he can do.

Directed by Craig Brewer · 1h 58m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 83% Metacritic 66

A wisecracking Detroit cop investigates a friend's murder deep in Beverly Hills.

Directed by Martin Brest · 1h 45m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar6 wins & 7 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

Eddie Murphy – 10 Best Movies

Life (1999)

Dreamgirls (2006)

Bowfinger (1999)

48 Hrs. (1982)

Shrek (2001)

The Nutty Professor (1996)

Coming to America (1988)

Trading Places (1983)

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

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