It’s honestly impossible to imagine a world of comedy without Eddie Murphy as a part of it. He’s been in over forty feature films and fifteen separate television series. What would Mulan and Shrek be without his voice acting? What about classic comedy films like Trading Places and 48 Hours?
However, it’s a film of Murphy’s that has left a major cultural impact online which fans will be mourning the loss of on Netflix come December. The Golden Child isn’t remembered as an amazing film. In fact, it has a dismal 22% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes and only a slightly better 47% from audiences. Still, it managed to be a box office success back in 1986 earning $149.4 million.
So why is the film so infamous around the internet?
“After a Tibetan boy, the mystical Golden Child (J.L. Reate), is kidnapped by the evil Sardo Numspa (Charles Dance), humankind’s fate hangs in the balance. On the other side of the world in Los Angeles, the priestess Kee Nang (Charlotte Lewis) seeks the Chosen One, who will save the boy from death. When Nang sees social worker Chandler Jarrell (Eddie Murphy) on television discussing his ability to find missing children, she solicits his expertise, despite his skepticism over being ‘chosen.'”
Synopsis from Google
One clip from the film where Eddie Murphy says “I want the knife! Please?” has been used in memes for many years with countless versions of the scene available on YouTube and there are even versions of it on Pinterest to pin.
Those who want to see this bit of internet history before it goes away next month on Netflix should make sure they see Eddie Murphy in The Golden Child while they still can on the platform.