Black America Looks Back on ‘Boomerang’ With Nostalgia As Film Celebrates 30th Anniversary

By Isheka N Harrison | The Moguldum Nation

Paramount celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Eddie Murphy-led romantic comedy “Boomerang” with a Blu-ray release on June 28 and Black America was full of nostalgia over it.

When the now-cult classic film was released in 1992, it was the most expensive film to feature an all-star, all-Black cast and crew, according to a report by Solzy At The Movies.

Murphy stars as hot-shot advertising executive Marcus Graham – a notorious womanizer who woos women with his charm only to discard them after they sleep with him. He shows no signs of slowing down or committing until he meets his match in his new boss Jacqueline, played by Robin Givens.

Jacqueline is essentially the female version of Marcus and his own personal dose of karma. After being played by Jacqueline, Marcus falls in love with a sweet, witty and talented artist named Angela, played by Halle Berry.

He ends up losing Angela after falling back into old habits and cheating on her with Jacqueline, which leads him to self-reflect and realize he needs to change some of his ways. He eventually wins Angela back in the end.

Directed by Reginald Hudlin and the brainchild of Murphy, the film centers around Marcus’ evolution into a better version of himself through lessons learned from his relationship experiences. Along the way, hilarity ensues and important messages are delivered with swag and charm by the talented cast.

In addition to Murphy, Givens and Berry, Boomerang stars iconic Black actors like Martin Lawrence, David Alan Grier, Grace Jones, Chris Rock, John Witherspoon, Eartha Kitt, Geoffrey Holder, Tisha Campbell and Melvin Van Peebles.

Though the film was panned by critics, it was the third highest-grossing release on its opening weekend, made $131 million overall at the box office and was the 18th highest-grossing film of the year.

The movie also boasted one of the most beloved soundtracks in cinema featuring songs from Babyface, Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men.

Here are some of Black America’s reactions to Boomerang 30 years later.

Berry tweeted a clip of one of the most iconic scenes in the film when she confronts Murphy’s character about cheating on her. “Love should’ve brought you’re a** home last night,” Angela says to Marcus while pushing his head before leaving his home.

The Oscar-winning actress and director wrote, “can’t believe it’s been 30 YEARS since ‘Boomerang’ was released. which scene is your favorite?”

“It will forever be the finger to the forehead and ‘love should have brought your a*s home last night,’” @JustAzia responded to Berry.

“My favorite scene is the art school therapy with all the kids,” @ericacanales responded. “With Marcus critiquing that young girl’s art and then mimicking all her moves! ‘Thank you kindly for your interpretation.’”

One user praised the comedic genius of Witherspoon, who died in 2019, in the film. “The fact that John did all that acting off the top of his head in this scene is absolutely amazing. You are truly missed Mr Witherspoon,” @MRkillorbekill1 tweeted.

“Eddie Murphy’s Boomerang is a movie I grew up on and played the soundtrack til the cd wore out lol,” @TravisHouze tweeted. “So glad to see its finally on Blu Ray for its 30th anniversary.”

“30 years later and people still don’t give the movie Boomerang the respect it deserves,” @ClemsonCutie wrote. “It NEVER comes up in conversations about great Black movies from the 90s.”

Here are some other reactions from Twitter: