Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
By Jennifer Green,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
1980s franchise reboot has violence, language, drugs.
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Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
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Based on 2 parent reviews
I loved it great for kids and adults. 12+
What's the Story?
In BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F, irreverent Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) gets a call from old pal Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), formerly of the Beverly Hills Police Department, that Foley's daughter, Jane (Taylour Paige), is in trouble. Even though he's estranged from Jane, now a Beverly Hills lawyer, he immediately runs to her rescue. This sends him headfirst into a wide-ranging conspiracy involving a Mexican drug cartel, some corrupt policemen, and a client of Jane's, who is accused of killing a cop. Jane, Foley, and Jane's ex, police detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), smell something fishy in the behavior of Captain Grant (Kevin Bacon), but old pal Taggart (John Ashton), now police chief, assures them everything's fine. Meanwhile, Rosewood appears to be missing.
Is It Any Good?
This fourth film in the popular '80s franchise, which fizzled out 30 years ago, brings memorable characters and elements into the present while attempting to iron out some now-obsolete attitudes. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F does what a sequel should do, incorporating what worked in the originals (and what fans of a certain age will be looking for) and updating aspects to better, though not perfectly, fit the times. This combo potentially sets the franchise on a course for a future. You see it in the renewal of older characters and the addition of new, younger ones, like Gordon-Levitt's Abbott and Paige's Jane. You hear it in the soundtrack, which runs from the Glenn Frey-Bob Seger sounds of the originals to Mary J. Blige and a Lil Nas X remix of the theme song. And, most essentially, you see the old-new blend in ideas, dialogues, and storylines.
It's not the '80s anymore, and even macho cops now can't let their manhood feel easily threatened. They try to respect women and recognize when therapy, an apology, or some tenderness might help their relationships. The fish-out-of-water concept of plopping Black Detroit cop Murphy into majority-White, upscale Beverly Hills still works, although even Beverly Hills has diversified some in the last 30 years. Be prepared for old-guy humor, unavoidable when you've got 60-plus-year-olds playing the leads of an action film, including some grumpy responses to changing social norms. The storyline gives the older characters, like Reiser's retiring Friedman and Ashton's ailing Taggart, reprised roles but also a believable out on potential future entries. The film also revisits the originals' mix of cameos, humor, and suspense (still requiring suspension of disbelief), though these aspects would earn bigger responses on the big screen.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F compares with earlier films (and the TV series spinoff) of the franchise. What has changed? What has stayed the same?
There's quite a lot of violence and swearing in the film. When do these feel like too much? Are they realistic to the story? Could the film have less of either?
Eddie Murphy was 33 when the last Beverly Hills Cop film premiered; he's in his 60s now. Do you believe him in the reprised role of Axel Foley? What other nods to aging characters does the film make?
Do the characters feel contemporary or dated to you? What do you envision might happen if there's yet another sequel?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: July 3, 2024
- Cast: Eddie Murphy , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Taylour Paige
- Director: Mark Molloy
- Inclusion Information: Black actors, Female actors
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Friendship
- Run time: 117 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: language throughout, violence and brief drug use
- Last updated: July 8, 2024
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