What is the difference between a small time con-man and a politician? Trick question. They're the same! (Unless you want to argue that the politician isn't small time I guess.) Anyway hilarious rib-ticklers aside… When local hustler Jeff Johnson capitalizes on a naming similarity and vaults into the US Senate, he immediately sets about reaching towards all the well manicured hands holding out money and favours.Seeing a handsome and well spoken black man gives party high-ups ideas, they latch onto Johnson and give him simple instructions "Shut up and smile big".This works well initially when Johnson amazingly is fast tracked through to positions others in parliament wait years for, but then things change for Johnson… As the DVD cover might say Johnson comes into contact with a well meaning and determined young woman named Celia, who catches both his eye and his heart. Celia introduces Johnson to some of the more 'real-life' situations that are all too often ignored by politicians seduced by big business and big budgets.Will Johnson himself learn to grow a heart when all around him are heartless, or will he simply become another greedy unfeeling politician? This was the early 90s and was obviously a project lying in a studio drawer waiting for a big star to sign on and green light it. If it were Stallone they would have played off the 'big dumb guy with muscles' angle, Bruce Willis would have smirked his way through proceedings and a bunch of peripheral actors would have seen it vanish from shelves and cinemas within weeks.But they got Ed near the height of his powers, as well as his smile and laugh Murphy gets to unleash his array of voices and characters to provide a few decent chuckles, and it must be said that the supporting cast are all pretty reasonable in a paint by numbers affair.I liked it. I don't remember it. But I remember I liked it.Final Rating – 6 / 10. The Distinguished Gentleman is hardly necessary and is as light as a supermodel, but it is a likable flick with a laugh or two and a half-hearted political lampoon that breezes over severe corruption and how empty campaign promises are.

When Eddie Murphy hit it big on Saturday Night Live,he became the hottest featured player on there since John Belushi. Along with that came his (then) shocking and hilarious comedy albums. He Like Steve Martin in the '70s,became a stand-up comedian,treated like a rock star.Then came great films like 48 Hours,Trading Places & Beverly Hills Cop #1 & Pt.2 and Coming To America. Mis-steps like Best Defense (which he's barely in) and Golden Child. Mostly though,it was his (clean version here) "smart-aleck"/street smart persona that made him. It's also what broke him,at least for awhile.Harlem Nights was a disaster,Another 48 Hourscould have been made on a Xerox machine. People had begun to tire of him. In 1992 it seemed he had rebounded with "Boomerang" but then came this.The Distinguished gentleman takes Murphy,once again back to the street smart,con artist he'd played before. The smart aleck humor seemed tired for a man (then) 30 years old. It was a somewhat nice touch that his character sees the realities involved in the office he's won based on (someone else's) name recognition. Seeing a little girl whose hair has fallen out due to electrical tower radiation makes him see the light.Most comedies have a pretty funny ending but the writers couldn't even give us that. In the last moment,I was like,"That's it?"Four stars is a generous rating here but I feel that Murphy was at least trying to say good-bye to his 80s super-star and hello to maturity,which he finally found. After Beverly Hills Cop 3,he never looked back again. (END)

I was just having a discussion with my work colleague about what may have been the worst film either of us has ever seen. He plumped for The Naked Lunch (?)and I went for this turkey. The most amusing part of my whole viewing experience was when a man in his mid 30's, young family in tow, began to walk out of the cinema and then, once he reached the aisle, turned to face the screen and shouted "B*ll@#ks!!!" at the top of his voice before calmly turning round and walking out. This expressed what most of the audience, myself included, were thinking at that time. Well done, that man....Can't help but agree with an earlier post -I am SHOCKED to see so many people give positive reviews to this inane drivel and felt I needed to redress the balance somewhat. What is the world coming to, eh???

Being a Government teacher, I was curious about this film. As an Eddie Murphy vehicle, I was what somewhat curious to see if it would be an educational movie or just a comedic flick. Well, it was both. The story is funny and the plot is politically sharp. We see how the congressional committees work and how money influences our legislative process. Eddie Murphy has arrived as an actor that is still capable of making quality films.