Beverly Hills Cop

Right now you can watch Beverly Hills Cop in Australia on BINGE and Foxtel Now, and in the US on Paramount Plus Essential and Philo — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. With 4,634 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Eddie Murphy sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Put it on tonight on BINGE and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Beverly Hills Cop is worth clearing space for. Beverly Hills Cop does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. Fast-talking, quick-thinking Detroit street cop Axel Foley has bent more than a few rules and regs in his time, but when his best friend is murdered, he heads to sunny Beverly Hills to work the case like only he can. Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1984. The timing in Beverly Hills Cop is precise enough that even the throwaway lines land on a second watch. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Comedy fans looking for a reliably funny watch will find it in Beverly Hills Cop. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Eddie Murphy's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.