Harlem Nights (1987)

What’s better than a mobster classic told by three generations of great comedians? Trying to follow this piecemeal ADD train of random quotes as we chug our way over to New York (aka Los Angeles) for Eddie Murphy’s action-comedy cult classic, “Harlem Nights” (1989), of course. In this critically panned, fan-adored, Gen X fever dream, Richard Pryor plays club owner and “numbers” boss “Sugar Ray” (yes, seriously) who is contending with the scheming likes of disgruntled gangster “Bugsy Calhoune” (no, we’re not kidding) played by the late, great Michael Lerner. Bugsy is not-so-silently fuming over the classic black vs white slight of being second to a highly successful black man, when he turns to corrupt cop “Phil Cantone” (Danny Aiello) to exact a particularly insidious form of street “justice” as he attempts to shut Sugar Ray’s down.

The film leans heavily on the comedic prowess of not only Pryor, Murphy (“Quick”), and Redd Foxx (“Bennie Wilson”) but also that of Della Reese (“Vera”), and Arsenio Hall (“Crying Man”) among others to create a romping good time filled with gags, jabs, and fun.

Join our krewe as we discuss the importance of films like “Harlem Nights” in establishing a cultural benchmark for the “Ava DuVernay” and “Hobbs” tests, the generational translation(s) that are required to enjoy such films, and just the general fun of quoting some of the film’s most iconic lines like “Kiss my entire ass”, or one of the 133 times the cast drops the F-bomb.

 How did Hannah feel about this 80s classic? Does Matt finally find his voice? Will Terry and Garrett just recite the entire movie back to each other? You’ll need to listen to find out! Just bring your ass and check out “Harlem Nights” already and don’t forget to hit us up on socials and/or rate, review, and subscribe!

CW: Gun violence, Sexual Assault, Drugs, CTE, Alcoholism, Love Bombing, Inter-Partner Violence, Sex Work, Body Shaming, Misogyny, Racial Slurs, Ableist Slurs