Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Eddie Murphy Documentary 'Being Eddie' Debuts on Netflix With Rare Home Access and Star Tributes

The career-spanning film leans into intimate family scenes and candid reflections on influence and setbacks as early reviews note a largely reverential portrait that sidesteps some controversies.

Overview

  • Now streaming, the Angus Wall–directed documentary centers much of its footage at Murphy’s Beverly Hills estate and frames his legacy through his wife Paige Butcher and his 10 children.
  • High-profile peers including Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Jamie Foxx and Pete Davidson weigh in on Murphy’s five-decade impact on comedy and Hollywood.
  • Murphy shares a brief, unusually vulnerable moment about missing his late brother Charlie Murphy and reflects on early-life trauma and the pressures of fame.
  • He explains why a 1995 'Saturday Night Live' jab kept him away from the show for years and why he returned to host in 2019.
  • Initial critiques praise the access and anecdotes but describe the film as largely celebratory, noting it glosses over or omits several thornier episodes from Murphy’s past.