Marcus Graham (Murphy) may be a success in his industry, but he’s also an insatiable womanizer who’s completely unprepared for his new boss, Jacqueline (Robin Givens), a female version of Marcus in terms of all things romantic.
1992’s “Boomerang,” directed by Reginald Hudlin and starring Eddie Murphy, is one of the most humorous romcoms of Murphy’s to date, in addition to a roster of iconic stars who have risen to be some of the most successful black actors of our time. The most relatable themes concerning relationships and business etiquette are covered when player Marcus Graham (Eddie Murphy) gets played himself when his new boss, Jacqueline (Robin Givens), becomes the target of his affection. When the film opens, Marcus and his longtime friends, Gerard (David Allen Greer) and Tyler (Martin Lawrence) are having one of many conversations about how they handle the women in their lives. While Marcus is seemingly the most level-headed one, it appears that the pleasure principle becomes a little tired once the same moves that Marcus makes on various women are inadvertently dished back to him on an uncompromising level. When Marcus, an advertising executive, sees a highly seductive woman, Jacqueline (Robin Givens), getting on the elevator with him headed towards the office where he works, he flirts with her profusely and ultimately finds out that they both think they are going to be promoted to the premier role of Head-decisionmaker at Strangé Cosmetics. Marcus, who has worked with the most provocative seducer, Lady Eloise (Eartha Kitt), is often told that Lady Eloise has no power to make any decisions, only power in the bedroom. While Marcus doesn’t believe it at all, he soon finds that Jacqueline is barking orders left to right, and the many women of Strangé have multiple layers of power, including Strangé herself, who, after hearing about all the tail Marcus is chasing, decides to put her skin in the game as well, much to Marcus’ chagrin.
While the office continues to flourish, Marcus realizes that Jacqueline has something unique about her that he hasn’t found in other women. While he ducks and dodges from Strangé, he finds Jacqueline’s amusing and uniquely opinionated disposition both intriguing and disappointing. When he and his buddies gather once again to reconvene their conversations about the women in their lives, all bets are off when Marcus doesn’t meet his deadline of sacking Jacqueline, and his co-worker Angela, who is dating his buddy Gerard, tries to give him relationship tips that he doesn’t feel are needed. Angela, who feels like Gerard doesn’t know how to handle women, still appreciates him as a romantic partner. Yet, when she gets an opportunity to meet his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Jackson (John Witherspoon and Bebe Drake), she loses confidence in their unorthodox behavior. When the guys revisit once again after Marcus finally gets Jaqueline in the sack, he is afraid to admit that she doesn’t want a relationship with Marcus, who is falling in love and unsure how to handle it, given the fact that this is the role he usually plays in the relationship.
Things begin to take a toll when Marcus and Gerard have a falling out over how they treat the women in their lives and how to respond to one another when they don’t have a good grip on their relationship with each other and their women. At the same time, Marcus is discovering that he does not have enough game to play with Jacqueline as she becomes the laughing stock of women every way he turns. Eventually, they have to part ways as their business relationship suffers. After some self-evaluation, the group of men realizes that their relationship is much too strong to suffer due to female distractions.
Director Reginald Hudlin, who also directed “House Party,” has done an excellent job of creating a “Boomerang” effect that shows how easily things can turn when the shoe is on the other foot. With a stellar cast of actors, including Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Halle Berry, Grace Jones, Eartha Kitt, Martin Lawrence, Tisha Cambell, David Allen Greer, and others, he has assembled a humorous and telling story of the rise and fall of personal relationships and how dating within the office can have a severe impact on the entire organization. In addition, he makes a lovely point of showing how using diversity in talent can help an organization reach its goals in building inter-office relationships. Lastly, the most important lesson this film has to offer is learning that life is definitely a circle, and what is given is usually returned in one way or another regardless of whether you want it or not.
Now available on Blu-ray™ for the first time
