Pleasantly surprising and good. It's obvious what you're getting into before seeing Mr. Church. A black man becomes a prominent figure in a white family. What the writers and actors do from there decides how the audience will react. They nailed it. There's so much depth to the two main characters. In the end you love them both. This movie did everything set out to do, except probably make more money at the box office.

I usually write those reviews for "extreme" reasons. If everybody hated a movie and I didn't. Or the other way round. Turns out there is another reason. When an actor who was once a star "comes back" with a stellar performance. Mr. Church is that film.

Murphy delivers a heart wearming performance. He is the soul of the movie. I guess we will never know why Murphy so rarely appears on the screen but If you watch him here you can't help yourself wanting to see him more often.

Don't get me wrong. This movie has problems and it is corny, sometimes a bit too much. But it is a film for families about families and a heartwarming one at that. Thats why it surely is no 10 rating but also no 4, 3, 2 or even 1 rating. If you want something for the family, if you like films like Forrest Gump and if you like Murphy, this is your movie.

One thing I wanted to say when I read the official critics. They complain about an Afro-American being the servant. If you think that, you clearly didn't get the movie at all. He is basically father, husband. grandfather in one person. So if you saw him as a servant, you should really think about what that says about you.

(Flash Review)

Eddie Murphy in a pure drama without comedy! I did a quick scan through his filmography and I don't think he has ever done anything without some dose of comedy in it. And he did a really good job with it. Murphy plays a cook, Mr. Church, who is hired to make meals by her ex- husband or some man she was very close to for a dying mother and her daughter. The mother is given six months to live and if Mr. Church cooks for those six months he'll receive a handsome sum of money. (slight spoiler) Well, the mother lives for another 6-7 years and Mr. Church keeps on cooking and has formed a bond with the mother and daughter yet he has a rule that he won't share any details about his personal life that goes on after dinner is over with. Is he hiding anything? How can he be so close yet still so far? The story unfolds over several years and their relationships have small tests now and then but no significant drama. The acting is very good and subtle, nice production value with passable cinematography but I'd say it was more fascinating to see Murphy act seriously than I found interest with the story. It was pleasant and not super original yet there was a secondary plot point about just living a good and humble existence without the need for material possessions.