Raw
Eddie Murphy: Raw, released in 1987, is a highly acclaimed stand-up comedy film featuring comedian Eddie Murphy's live performance at New York City's Felt Forum. The film opens with a pre-taped sketch depicting a childhood Thanksgiving and then transitions into Murphy's 90-minute routine. His performance is known for its energetic, unfiltered, and often controversial humor, delving into topics such as relationships, marriage, sex, divorce, and various racial and sexual stereotypes prevalent at the time. The film gained significant commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing stand-up concert film, yet its content has also drawn criticism, with Murphy himself later expressing remorse for some of the jokes. It is intended for mature audiences due to its explicit language and adult themes.
Concerns
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
HighThe film contains explicit offensive language and derogatory remarks concerning homosexuality. Eddie Murphy directly addresses past criticisms from homosexual viewers and uses offensive terms. The creator has since expressed remorse for these 'ignorant' jokes.
Eddie Murphy mentions that 'homosexual viewers' were 'offended by his jokes about 'faggots'' from his previous stand-up special, 'Delirious,' directly addressing the controversial and offensive nature of such language. Additionally, Eddie Murphy later labeled his jokes in 'Raw' that touched on homosexuality and used offensive words towards the gay community as 'ignorant,' acknowledging the problematic nature of the material.
Romance and Sexual Content
HighThe film features extensive and explicit discussions of sexual acts, relationships, marriage, and divorce, often using crude and graphic language. Topics include promiscuity, sexual transmitted infections (STIs), and the financial aspects of divorce, presented in a highly adult and uncensored manner.
Eddie Murphy explicitly states his paranoia about the financial risk of marriage by concluding that 'no pussy is worth $150 million,' directly using crude language in the context of sex and financial entanglement. He also engages in direct discussions of sexual acts with explicit language, as demonstrated when he states, 'yes I f***ed her,' during a routine about infidelity and relationships.
Profanity
HighProfanity is pervasive and extremely frequent throughout the film, a defining characteristic of Eddie Murphy's 'raw' comedic style. The film set a record for the number of times the word 'fuck' was used upon its release, and its R-rating is explicitly justified by its language.
The film contained the word 'fuck' 223 times, setting a record at the time for the highest 'fuck count' in a theatrically released feature film. The MPAA initially gave the film an 'X' rating, which was later reduced to 'R' after cuts, with the R-rating explicitly given for 'Language Throughout,' indicating the significant and explicit use of strong profanity.
Disrespect & Rebellion
HighDisrespect and rebellion are central to Eddie Murphy's comedic style in 'Raw.' He openly parodies and criticizes celebrities and societal norms, and the film begins with a scene of childhood defiance. His humor often challenges authority and conventional expectations.
In the pre-taped opening sketch, young Eddie (Deon Richmond) shocks his family at Thanksgiving by telling a 'rude joke about a monkey and a lion,' demonstrating a rebellious and disrespectful attitude toward adult propriety. Eddie Murphy recounts receiving a phone call from Bill Cosby chastising him for profanity, to which Murphy describes Richard Pryor's advice to tell Cosby to 'Have a Coke and a smile and shut the f*** up,' showcasing open defiance against an older, respected authority figure in comedy.
Substance Use
MediumThe film includes depictions of alcohol use through a comedic impression of a character who is drunk. While not glorifying drug abuse, it features a character's behavior influenced by alcohol.
Eddie Murphy performs a lengthy and detailed impression of his 'drunken stepfather,' portraying behavior and speech patterns associated with intoxication. This segment runs for over ten minutes and incorporates his stepfather's habit of misquoting Motown songs, which is presented as a characteristic influenced by his drinking.
Violence
LowThe media, being a stand-up comedy film, contains no depicted physical violence. Mentions of violence are purely anecdotal and non-graphic, focusing on reactions to parodies rather than actual physical altercations.
In the opening pre-taped sketch, young Eddie (Deon Richmond) tells a rude joke at a family Thanksgiving gathering, which shocks most adults but does not involve any physical violence. Eddie Murphy recounts that celebrities parodied in his previous special, 'Delirious,' like Mr. T, had 'angry reactions' and Mr. T 'wanted to try and find him to fight him,' but this is a verbal anecdote and not visually depicted.
Witchcraft & Occult
LowNo elements of witchcraft, sorcery, occult practices, magic rituals, demons, spells, or other supernatural themes are present or discussed in the content of the film.
There are no specific scenes, characters, or dialogue that reference or depict witchcraft or occult themes within the stand-up comedy special or its introductory sketch. This concern is absent from the media.
Scary & Intense Content
LowThe film is a stand-up comedy special and does not contain any intentionally scary, frightening, horror, or suspenseful content. Its intensity comes from the comedic delivery and explicit nature of the jokes, not from fear-inducing elements.
The film's primary genre is comedy, with the content focused on humor and social commentary rather than creating a frightening or suspenseful atmosphere. There are no scenes designed to evoke fear, jump scares, or disturbing imagery typically associated with scary or intense media.
Anti-Christian Themes
LowThe film does not contain explicit anti-Christian themes. While it touches on various stereotypes and controversial social topics, there is no direct mockery, criticism, or sacrilegious portrayal of Christian beliefs, symbols, or figures.
The comedy routines and sketches in 'Eddie Murphy: Raw' do not include any specific references, dialogue, or visual elements that can be identified as anti-Christian. The focus of the humor is on social commentary, relationships, and celebrity impressions rather than religious critique.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
Recommended for ages 18+ due to pervasive strong language, explicit discussions of sexual themes and relationships, and derogatory remarks concerning gender identity and sexuality. The content is adult-oriented and features themes and language inappropriate for younger audiences, particularly given the offensive nature of some of the jokes by today's standards.
Additional Notes
The user prompt requested an analysis for 'Raw (1993) tv'. Based on comprehensive searches, there is no prominent TV series titled 'Raw' from 1993 for which parental content reviews are readily available, apart from 'WWE Raw', which is a professional wrestling program. The media most consistently identified with 'Raw' and the characteristics of parental guidance concerns (age ratings, explicit content) is 'Eddie Murphy: Raw,' a stand-up comedy film released in 1987. This analysis has focused on 'Eddie Murphy: Raw' due to its notorious adult content aligning with the scope of the request. Eddie Murphy has publicly expressed regret for some of the jokes in 'Raw,' particularly those considered homophobic and misogynistic, highlighting how societal standards and perceptions of acceptable comedy have evolved since its release. Parents should be aware that the content reflects 1980s comedic sensibilities, which may include material now widely considered offensive.
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