Get off the screen No offense to Murphy's mug, but some of his best roles have been ones that never revealed his face. Not only did he steal the show as the donkey in ''Shrek,'' but he also brought much-needed spunk to ''Mulan'' and the TV show ''The PJs'' (we also loved it when he disappeared behind the fat suits in ''The Nutty Professor''). ''That broader, over-the-top delivery that can be too much for some audiences worked wonders for the donkey,'' says Hopkins. At least he has one venue where he can make a complete ass of himself.
Switch partners On paper, pairing up with Owen Wilson and Robert DeNiro made sense. After all, they fit Murphy's most successful formula: They were polar opposites who could be straight men for Murphy's snappy patter a la Judge Reinhold in ''Beverly Hills Cop'' and Nick Nolte in ''48 Hours.'' But now that Murphy's no longer the young upstart, it may be time to mix things up. ''Imagine what he could do with Chris Tucker as his partner in a buddy comedy,'' says Pandya. ''People would line up to see them together.'' But would Murphy's ego allow him to pass the torch (and the punchlines) to an upstart comedian? ''The thing is, Tucker and other actors are doing versions of what Murphy did 20 years ago, so no one wants to see Murphy doing it anymore,'' says Hopkins. ''But Murphy could be funny as a straight man.''
Hold out for quality Let's face it, ''Pluto Nash'' bombed because even the trailer couldn't squeeze a chuckle out of unimpressed audiences. ''I Spy'' was equally laugh free. ''And 'Showtime' wasn't a bad movie, but it was about the film industry, which was a little too insider for mainstream audiences,'' says Pandya. Murphy, who made $20 million for ''Dr. Doolittle 2,'' certainly doesn't need to cash in with subpar fare, and he's not going to be forgotten if he takes a break between projects. He needs to hold out for a worthy vehicle.
Don't panic Murphy may have had an unlucky streak this year, but he's survived low points in his career before (remember ''Vampire in Brooklyn''?). Plus, he has a guaranteed hit in the wings with ''Shrek 2.'' ''The reason these flops sting is because they came in such a short time frame,'' says box office analyst Paul Degarabedian of Exhibitor Relations. ''But he's been around for a long time, and he's not going to disappear.'' Just as long as there isn't a ''Pluto Nash 2.''
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