Not only is “Dolemite is My Name” being hailed as a return to form for comedic actor Eddie Murphy, but the film also marks his return to the R-rated territory that helped make him a superstar in the ‘80s. However, over the last two decades, if you purchased a ticket to see Murphy in a comedy, the age minimum was only early-teens, as the actor’s films have been firmly in the PG-13 realm.
Speaking to CinemaBlend, Murphy explains why he strayed away from R-rated comedies and into the world of PG-13, while also giving the reason why ‘Dolemite’ couldn’t be made as anything other than rated-R.
READ MORE: Eddie Murphy Does Right By Rudy Ray Moore in ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ [TIFF Review]
“I think what happened was, there was a period when Hollywood was on some PG-13… that’s how you reached most audiences,” he said. “And there was, maybe, a 15-year period where that’s all everybody was doing. So I got caught up in that shit. But no, doing [‘Dolemite’], we went, ‘This movie has to be rated R because of the way Rudy Ray Moore was.’ But I’m doing ‘Coming to America,’ and that’s PG-13.”
You can’t blame Murphy for his reasons for sticking with PG-13, as that was the trend with Hollywood productions over the last couple of decades. However, in recent years, thanks to filmmakers like Seth Rogen, the R-rated comedy is back in vogue and actually making good money, if done right.
Which leads me to the final comment Murphy makes about the upcoming “Coming to America 2.” The news that “Coming to America 2” is going to be PG-13 is heartbreaking. Obviously, you can’t have to say bad words and include sexual situations to be funny, but arguably, the original ‘80s film was so iconic because of some of the incredibly off-color humor in it. And to sanitize that for a sequel is just sad.
While I still remain cautiously optimistic about the sequel (mainly due to my love of the original “Coming to America”), the idea that the film is PG-13 does hit like a punch to the gut. Let’s just hope that the humor and jokes that pushed the envelope in the 1988 classic are still present in the upcoming sequel. Also, what does this mean for the just-announced “Beverly Hills Cop 4?” Please tell me that’s R-rated.
“Coming to America 2” is set to arrive in 2021.
Here are a couple of the best, R-rated moments from the original: