MaryAnn Johanson at FlickFilosopher linked to this article about the upcoming, long-delayed Eddie Murphy film, A Thousand Words.

“This is a sweet, heartfelt movie, and it’s a chance to see Eddie do some very physical comedy,” said Megan Colligan, Paramount’s president of domestic marketing and distribution. “He’s really funny in this film.”

OK, funny Eddie Murphy — we all remember Coming to America… 24 years ago.

What’s this new film about?

Successful but prone to ethically dubious behavior, Jack McCall (Murphy) is thrown for a loop when he discovers a tree whose leaves fall off whenever he speaks. He’s told by a mystical figure that the tree’s branches will be bare after he utters 1,000 words, at which point he will die. The set-up yields numerous opportunities for Murphy to engage in gestures and exaggerated body language.

Huh? He plays a man marked for death, who will expire after speaking roughly as many words as the average college essay? This is supposedly going to result in pratfalls and vaudevillian hijinks?

Maybe they’re just not describing it well. Let’s see the trailer.

Wow, that’s terrible. I’m not one to question ludicrous “mystical figures” in movies, but it doesn’t seem like Murphy’s character’s problem is that he talks excessively but that when he does speak, it’s usually a lie. Shouldn’t a leaf fall whenever he repeats a Mitt Romney talking point? Shouldn’t it be safe for him to guide an old blind man across a busy intersection?

If it’s any consolation, Eddie still looks great. It’s like he stopped aging around the time he stopped being funny. Hey, wait a minute, did he make some sort of deal with Ursula the Sea Witch?