As little as six months ago Eddie Murphy was looking at a potential career resurgence with a hosting appearance at the Academy Awards coming up and a new film on the way. Fast forward to the present day and Murphy never got round to hosting at the Oscars, stepping down from the role after his pal Brett Ratner resigned from production duties following a homophobia row. His film meanwhile, 'A Thousand Voices,' looks like it's going to flop after a universal panning by critics so bad that it's currently standing at 0% on the reviews aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
USA Today leads the way in giving Murphy and the film a hefty dose of shoe pie, claiming "The concept is unoriginal, the scenarios aren't funny, and its message is banal. Plus, Murphy alternately hams it up and phones it in," while The Chicago Sun Times also comments on Murphy's largely silent performance, saying "The poster art for 'A Thousand Words' shows Eddie Murphy with duct tape over his mouth, which as a promotional idea ranks right up there with Fred Astaire in leg irons."
Similar to Oscar-winning picture 'The Artist,' 'A Thousand Voices' is a largely silent affair but, claims Black Film, that's where the likenesses end "A far cry from the Oscar winning silent film The Artist, Murphy's A Thousand Words is sadly still one too many for an audience to take in.If you waited long enough for the film to come out, then you can wait a bit longer for it to appear on TV for free." It's the latest in a run of poor roles for Murphy, including 2009's 'Imagine That' and the year before's 'Meet Dave,' that have left the once hugely lauded comic actor's reputation in tatters.