Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Boomerang Blu-ray Movie Review

"What are you talking about? Am I getting serious? What is that?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown September 16, 2023

It's a tale as old as time (or at least as old as the 1990s and early noughts), a then-clever spin on Beauty and the Beast: a serial womanizer learns a hard lesson in self-reflection when the gender tables are turned and he's forced to face the realities of what he sees in the mirror. And what better time to review two, count 'em two, such films than in 2023, when there are no, and I mean absolutely no lingering and divisive sociopolitical or cultural opinions stemming from the issues being tackled, whatsoever. (#MeToo! #OrNot? #WhoCanSay? #Sarcasm!) Thus enters the ring 1992's pseudo-classic Eddie Murphy vehicle, Boomerang, a veritable minefield of antiquated sexism schtick, and 2000's less-than-classic Mel Gibson rom-com, What Women Want, which declares its problematic goal right outta the gate in its title. Which will win? Two flicks enter, only one will leave, but, either way, modern women will (kinda sorta probably) lose in the process.

“What do you know about love? What could you possibly know about love? You know, I'm sick and tired of men using love as if it's some disease you just catch. Love should have brought your ass home last night...”

Marcus (Eddie Murphy), a cocky ad executive, has a reputation as a ladies' man. However, Marcus gets a taste of his own medicine when a merger tosses him down the gender-biased hierarchy where he must work under the beautiful Jacqueline (Robin Givens), who has a similarly cavalier attitude toward romance. Marcus and Jacqueline quickly find themselves toying with being a casual office couple, but he's put off by her noncommittal approach to relationships. However, by a screenwriting twist of fate, Marcus also begins to develop feelings for Angela (Halle Berry), a more relatable woman more thoughtful than Jacqueline. What could possibly go wrong? Or right? 'Boomerang' also stars David Alan Grier, Martin Lawrence, Grace Jones, Chris Rock, Geoffrey Holder and Eartha Kitt.

*Long, heavy sigh* I've never been a fan of director Reginald Hudlin's Boomerang, although I once would've simply described my apathetic response to the movie with the vague, age-old criticism, "it tries too hard." And it does. The film tries too hard to be relevant. Too hard to be edgy. Funny. Topical. Memorable. Meaningful. A date movie. A guy's movie. A girl's movie. Everything and more, all wrapped up in a shiny bow of a happy lesson-learned ending you'll spot approaching from three genres away. But Hudlin has a bigger problem on the horizon than walking a fine line between amusing sexism satire and soon-to-be-dated romantic comedy: people don't undergo significant change in the way Marcus manages. Following the story from beat to beat requires a tremendous suspension of disbelief, hinging on a runtime of two hours, and an even greater love for early '90s R-rated comedy tropes and Murphy's sometimes-stocky post-standup-special stylings. (Three cheers for alliteration!) Worse, Givens and Berry are presented at two extremes of empowerment, neither of which particularly resonates as real empowerment. They are, and remain, the "conquest" for Marcus to conquer, even if he finds his heart and soul in the process. He doesn't exactly become a better man; just a more emotionally available, strictly monogamous womanizer. If, that is, we're to really believe he makes it three months past the end credits holding onto the growth gained from his newfound epiphanies and hard-won lessons in life.

That said, this is still one of the comedians of the age in his prime, Eddie F-n Murphy, and there's a charm, ease and playfulness to his performance that at least keep Boomerang watchable and -- yeah, I'll admit it -- mildly entertaining at times. There's no punchline of the '80s and '90s like the ones that come from Axel Foley, Billy Ray Valentine or Reggie Hammond, and Boomerang is nearly the last film of an often hilarious R-rated run (followed only by 1994's Beverly Hills Cop III and the maligned Vampire in Brooklyn). This is Murphy before his family-flick phase changed the course of his career for two decades (for better or worse), and before other comedians stormed the big screen and began climbing atop his shoulders to claim the crown. It's a lesser effort through and through, but it's still quintessential Murphy, with all the trappings fans have come to know and love. It doesn't hold up, it is out of touch when it comes to today's more nuanced discussions of gender roles and cultural abnormalities, and it doesn't deliver as many laughs as it may have in 1992. Truth be told, there's more here to roll your eyes at than to embrace and enjoy. But who am I kidding? You already know if you still dig Boomerang and you already know if it's on your Amazon Wish List backlog or price-watch. You could do a lot better when it comes to early '90s comedies. You could also do a lot worse. A lot worse.

Boomerang Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"Some motherf-----s don't know when a good thing it's standing in front of them!"

Paramount serves up a decent but somewhat lacking 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that could have substantially benefited from a high quality remastering. Colors are warm and reasonably lifelike, although the image often appears to be a bit too bright, with a slight hint of "aged newspaper" discoloration. Skintones are natural on the whole thankfully, primaries are adequate and black levels are deep. Delineation is notable as well, despite a bit of intermittent crushing in the shadows, despite a softness to the picture that tends to dampen fine detail. Some of these instances are inherent to the film's original photography; some simply seem to be a product of age, a dated transfer and an inconsistent grain field. The print itself shows signs of damage too. Specks and scratches appear throughout; though typically faint and easy to overlook, they're nevertheless distracting (take a look at the scene where Berry interrupts Murphy's steamy shower). Ah well. The film still manages to look good on the whole and there isn't any major artifacting, banding or edge halos (minus a few problematic shots). It's certainly an upgrade from the DVD... not that that would take much.

Boomerang Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Yvonne: "You wanna come over for a cup of coffee?"
Marcus: "Not even if Jesus was pouring it."

Boomerang's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is a fairly front-heavy affair, but it has enough flair and personality to make good use of the film's original sound design. Dialogue and music are the name of the game here: conversations are clear and never overtaken by the soundscape, while music is pronounced and engaging. Rear speaker ambience is light but effective, with several moments of remarkable directionality. Will it spin your head? No. But it does subtly help with immersion, particularly in office environments and fancy restaurants. The subwoofer isn't very involved, though we aren't exactly tackling a boom and thoom mix. It offers adequate support, in the soundtrack especially, even if it doesn't otherwise register. All told, no real complaints.

Boomerang Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - Director Reginald Hudlin talks about Eddie Murphy quite a lot, so much so that there are moments that his love for the comedian dominates the proceedings. But soon he turns to other performances, as well as enough production details and anecdotes to give fans a fuller glimpse behind the scenes.

• Extended and Deleted Scenes (SD, 4 minutes) - Five scenes are included: "Thanksgiving at Marcus's Place", "Strange Arrival at Dinner", "Bony T Asks Marcus About Sex with Jackie", "First Dinner Between Marcus and Jackie", and "Dinner Between Gerard and Angela".

Boomerang Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Do you want this to grow into a relationship where we're together all the time? God. Stuff like that? Do you?"

Boomerang is dated, sometimes disastrously so, but there's enough to enjoy in Murphy's charms to still recommend if you're an uber-fan of his '80s and '90s comedies. Paramount's Blu-ray release is more than decent, with a strong video presentation, solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a welcome (albeit small by today's standards) supplemental package.