10 Famous Actors Who Tried To Direct Movies (And Failed)

9. Harlem Nights - Eddie Murphy

Though Eddie Murphy and the awful movies he has made over the last fifteen years have long been the subject of ridicule, when Murphy wrote, directed, and starred in Harlem Nights in 1989 he was still considered one of the funniest comedians in America. This period-piece crime comedy-drama starring Murphy and fellow stand-up legend Richard Pryor might seem like a match made in heaven, but despite the presence of two of the greatest stand-ups of all time audiences and critics thought the film to be overlong and dull. The narrative tone shifts from comedy to drama throughout the movie, which is mostly why it ended up with a 21% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Though Harlem Nights was a box office success (grossing $95.9 million worldwide on a $30 million budget), it was nowhere near as successful as earlier hits that Murphy starred in (Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, and Beverly Hills Cop II each grossed over $275 million worldwide). Arguably Harlem Nights was the beginning of the end for Murphy's big screen career, which soon descended into inconsistency and later downright dreadfulness.