Harlem Nights

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Harlem Nights

R

1989

1h 55m

Comedy

Crime

Drama

Romance

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

28%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In the waning days of Prohibition, Sugar Ray (Richard Pryor) and his adopted son, Quick (Eddie Murphy), run a speakeasy called Club Sugar Ray. When gangster Bugsy Calhoune (Michael Lerner) learns that Sugar Ray's place is pulling in more money than his own establishment, the Petty Pat Club, he pays corrupt cop Phil Cantone (Danny Aiello) to close Club Sugar Ray down. Quick doesn't exactly help the situation when he falls for Calhoun's gun moll, Miss Dominique La Rue (Jasmine Guy).

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Critics Consensus

An all-star comedy lineup is wasted on a paper-thin plot and painfully clunky dialogue.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

Mar 26, 2019

1/4

''Harlem Nights,'' it's worth remembering, is a comedy, though as the body count piles up and entire reels go by without a joke in sight, it's also easy to forget.

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

Mar 26, 2019

If he's going to confine himself to bad movies like "Harlem Nights," it's probably better that he writes and directs them himself.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Mar 26, 2019

Harlem Nights offers a depressing answer to that not entirely pressing question, "Will success spoil Eddie Murphy?" It looks as if it has.

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Terry Francis

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

May 9, 2023

0.5/4

The degree of ineptness with which this film is made must finally amount to some form of contempt for the audience.

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Common Sense Media Editors

Common Sense Media

Dec 14, 2022

3/5

Instead here lies the rare relish of seeing bonafide comedy legends Murphy, in his first directing jaunt -- he also wrote it -- and Prior play father and son.

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Cory Woodroof

615 Film

Jul 17, 2022

Look, this is a better film than Dick Tracy, and almost as interesting aesthetically. This also has Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and Redd freaking Foxx on the same screen.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 16, 2026

Harlem Nights = a 3.5 star movie!

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Alex L

@RT17887962 Sep 12, 2026

This is a classic! Top ten best comedy ever made!

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 20, 2026

Funny in 1 hour and 55 minutes.

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Jerry T

@JerryTee Feb 5, 2026

Excellent!!! If the critics give a terrible review then it's usually an excellent movie. If they give an excellent review then it's usually garbage. It's like they have no taste or common sense. No idea of what people consider a good movie. I found it historical with characters I want to see interact played by actors I love. " You shot my pinky toe" I laughed my arse off. Just watch it, you will like it if you are a normal human being.

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Preston L.

@Sloth82 Jan 28, 2026

Everything in this movie fell perfectly into place for the plot structure, from Vera getting her pinky toe shot off to the boxing match. It was hard for me to watch this movie without having a tear coming from my eyes from laughing so hard. Despite the Rotten Tomatoes score, this is a movie you'll watch numerous times in your life.

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Jonathan L

@DexterWolf77 Dec 4, 2025

I really don’t understand the low rating by critics; I mean ‘Were we watching the same movie???’ This film was amazing! Great talent, great story, great line up….i mean Richard Pryor, Red Fox, Charlie and Eddie!! And they all worked well together. Great chemistry! They don’t make movies like this anymore.

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Eddie Murphy

Director

Eddie Murphy

Quick

Richard Pryor

Sugar Ray

Redd Foxx

Bennie Wilson

Danny Aiello

Phil Cantone

Michael Lerner

Bugsy Calhoune

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Synopsis

In the waning days of Prohibition, Sugar Ray (Richard Pryor) and his adopted son, Quick (Eddie Murphy), run a speakeasy called Club Sugar Ray. When gangster Bugsy Calhoune (Michael Lerner) learns that Sugar Ray's place is pulling in more money than his own establishment, the Petty Pat Club, he pays corrupt cop Phil Cantone (Danny Aiello) to close Club Sugar Ray down. Quick doesn't exactly help the situation when he falls for Calhoun's gun moll, Miss Dominique La Rue (Jasmine Guy).

Director: Eddie Murphy
Producer: Robert D. Wachs, Mark Lipsky
Screenwriter: Eddie Murphy
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Eddie Murphy Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 17, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $58.5M
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Surround

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