Harlem Nights

 

TITLE-Harlem Nights

SOURCE-Paramount DVD

My brain was telling me this had come out when I was like 10 and that was the major reason why I didn't see it for years. Then before sitting down the write this I looked up the release year. Nope I wasn't 10. Guessing it was more the film got horrible reviews and with comedies my Dad normally waited and rented them on home video.

Set back in the probition era this movie was written,directed and starred Eddie Murphy.  Back when he was box office gold. Which is why when Harlem Nights flopped it hurt his career. Eddie is Quick a orphan kid who saves the life of Sugar a candy shop owner who also runs a speak easy and brothel. 

After this quick set up the film skips ahead to when Quick is grown and is now Sugar's number 1 man. Seems a corrupt racist cop has been paid off to harass Sugar. So Quick and the rest of the crew,which includes Red Foxx and Della Reese,come up with a plan to make them each enough to leave Harlem and start over in another town.

Harlem Nights is a comedic heist crime drama. Really it was Eddie wanting to do a period piece and cast lots of the older talent he loved.  So you get classic stand up comedians like Richard Pryor as Sugar or Red Foxx as a dealer in the casino. 

While this movie didn't do that great at the box office seems like thanks to cable airings it is now considered a hit. I know for me it was one if I ran across it on cable and it wasnt gonna be cut to shreds and packed with ad breaks I would watch it each time. That is why when I found this DVD cheap I had to grab it.

If you enjoy slightly raunchy 80s comedies this is worth seeing.

Harlem Nights gets a B.