Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy and Other Big Stars Who Have Stopped Being Funny

Here's a list - probably long overdue - of five funny film stars from the past 20 to 30 years or so who seem to have lost their comedy chops. Each of them seems to have either passed or be fast approaching their sell-by date, and some should have been retired to pasture years ago. Now, I'm not pushing myself as the funniest guy on the planet, but I recognize the decline and fall of these particular funny men of yore.

1. Robin Williams. Perfect for his breakout hit that pushed him to TV superstardom in 'Mork and Mindy' and an insanely inspired bit of casting no doubt, here was a guy who had the world at his feet. Apparently his character wasn't too far removed from the real person, which I suppose made it a lot easier to play but in subsequent years his act has become rather tired and worn-out. I don't need to see another Black-Woman impersonation with over the top 'Lawd-all-mighty'isms' thank you very much. He either tends to dwell on one character way too long or jumps around from one impersonation to another way too quickly. 'Jonathan Winters' a mentor and a genuinely funny man should have given Robin more advice when it comes to overdoing things. Remember that annoying child at your friends house who says one funny thing and then repeats it ad-nauseum, well being clever and fast on your feet doesn't always equate to funny. Since 'Mrs. Doubtfire' his comedy seems to have waned. He's has become king of the bit-parts, the supporting player in too many movie roles to mention and perhaps he would have better served utilizing his comic skills with more cartoon role voiceovers - 'Aladdin' being possibly one of best Cartoon voice-overs ever done. Certainly his voice lends itself very well to the manic animation that abounds from Disney, Pixar and the like.

2. Will Farrell. Completely hilarious in many of his 'Saturday Night Live' skits it might be that he is best served in small doses, like his small but pivotal spot in 'Old School'. Hmm, I'm spotting a theme here, are you? Where 'Anchorman' worked for him, playing well to his self-deprecating humor his recent more dragged out films like 'Bewitched', 'Stranger than Fiction' & 'Talladega Nights' have seen him losing his funny bone in recent years.

3. Jim Carrey, who after the 'Ace Ventura', 'Dumb & Dumber' & 'Liar Liar' films seems to have concentrated too much on trying to get an Oscar or at least trying to be regarded in the acting community as a serious actor. Films like 'Truman', 'Man on the Moon' and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' although good are hardly the laugh-fests of old. As for Thriller/Horror/Mess feature 'The Number 23' well, the less said about that the better.

4. Eddie Murphy, OK, enough with raking in the mega-bucks with donkey voices. Gone are the fast talking thinking subversive and slightly dangerous humor of films like 'Trading Places', '48 Hours' and even 'Beverly Hills Cop'. Time seems to have tamed Mr. Murphy's raucous performances seeing him becoming another Disneyfied Hollywood actor. That is to say acceptable to the family audience with 'G' & 'PG' ratings from now on in, which isn't a bad thing per-se and certainly the first 'Dr. Doolittle' wasn't too bad but with sequels to that and his penchant for dressing up in fat costumes in films like 'The Nutty Professor I & II' & 'Norbit' he seems to be allowing himself to be led him down a predictable path, save for an occasional decent role (re: Bowfinger) with 'Steve Martin' at the helm.

5. Adam Sandler, No. Wait a minute! he was never funny in movies to begin with. My bad.

You'll notice that all these actors came from a comedy TV background. Which would lead me to surmise that it can be a difficult transition from TV to Screen. As usual with Hollywood these stars are being given less and less exciting, interesting, funny roles to play in favor of the safe bet. Sequels for Murphy, odd-ball characters for Carey & Williams and seemingly anything Farrell wants to do. Rehash for Cash I call it, but for $12.00 to get butts on seats these guys are going to have to start stepping up their respective games.