Film
Eddie Murphy: Delirious
- Gross-out comedy
- Light-hearted
- Relentless
Eddie Murphy's 1983 concert film captures him at his absolute peak: fearless, inventive, and operating at a fever pitch of comedic energy. Shot live at Constitution Hall, it's a masterclass in stand-up construction wrapped in raunchy storytelling and brilliant impressions. For anyone who loves comedy that takes risks, this is essential viewing—a document of a performer at the height of his powers.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you want a raw, unpolished stand-up hour where a single performer's voice, timing and character impressions carry everything, and crude jokes are delivered with real craft rather than apology.
Skip it if you need a story, a plot or any sense of a wider arc, since this is one man on a stage, and its humour leans hard into sex and profanity that may grate if that is not your thing.
What it asks of you: It runs about seventy minutes and never leaves the stage, so it asks you to sit with one voice and follow its loose tangents, lively and loud, with few quiet moments.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert1979
The spiritual predecessor and gold standard of concert comedy films. Pryor's command of the stage, his emotional range, and his ability to build elaborate comedic narratives set the template Murphy would perfect. Absolutely unmissable.
But It's rawer and more abrasive than Delirious, with less structure. Some of Pryor's material lands harder because it cuts deeper into pain—it can be uncomfortable in ways comedy isn't always meant to be.
Beverly Hills Cop1984
Murphy carrying a film the year after Delirious, channeling that same fast-talking, improvisational energy into a role that became iconic. You get to see the sensibility that made the special work translated into narrative cinema.
But It's a heist movie first and a comedy second. If you want pure Murphy unleashed, the special is rawer. The film has to serve plot.
48 Hrs.1982
Murphy's first film role, released the year before Delirious. Watching him bounce off Walter Matthau as a fast-talking convict is like seeing the DNA of the stand-up comedy in a different medium. He's magnetic.
But It's an action-comedy from the early 80s, so the pacing and tone feel dated. He's supporting rather than carrying the film, which limits how much of that Delirious energy he gets to deploy.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Eddie Murphy: Delirious
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway1985
Both are 1980s concert films made by generational comedians at their peak, but they reveal how wildly different two major talents could approach the same form.
A concert film from the same era showing how a comedic powerhouse of the same generation approached the form differently. Goldberg's inventiveness with character and voice mirrors Murphy's, but her subject matter and perspective are entirely her own. It's a window into 80s stand-up from the other side.
But Her comedy is character-driven rather than narrative-driven, which means less of the story-building you get in Delirious. It's also shorter and more formally experimental.
More like this (3)
Coming to America1988
Murphy at peak film form, with enough script freedom to improvise and create characters. You can see Delirious's inventiveness applied to comedy filmmaking, with multiple characters and extended sketches.
But It's a big studio comedy, so there are constraints. The transgressive energy of the special is filtered through mainstream sensibilities. It's funnier as a film, less raw as Murphy.
Trading Places1983
Released the same year as Delirious, Murphy's charisma in a comedy written for him shows how that concert energy translates to ensemble work. He's the glue holding a clever satire together.
But It's a plot-driven farce. The stand-up infrastructure that makes Delirious sing—the monologues, the conversational detours—doesn't fit the format. You get Murphy in a box.
Eddie Murphy Raw1987
Eddie Murphy's second concert special, filmed four years after Delirious, showing his evolution. Still got the physicality and the impressions, still fearless, but you can see how his comedy deepened.
But Some of it hasn't aged as gracefully as Delirious. There's material that was controversial then and reads differently now, and not always in ways that feel as sharp.
People
Cast
Eddie MurphySelf- James ArgiroSideline Actor
Recommended by
The Chris Rock Show, Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, Gilda Live, Chris Rock: Bring the Pain, Robin Williams: An Evening at the Met, The Original Kings of Comedy, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, Katt Williams: American Hustle, Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theater, Rodney Dangerfield: It's Not Easy Bein' Me, Chris Rock: Bigger & Blacker