Eddie Murphy keeps trying and trying. This one kinda works... sort of. Jack McCall (Eddie Murphy) is a talkative self-obsessed man. He lies and ignores others. After meeting a spiritual guru, he finds a tree in his backyard that drops a leaf for every word he speaks. Will his professional and personal lives crash and burn, or will he find enlightenment?

Once again, he does his unlikeable douche character. And for the first hour, there are too many unlikeable self-centered characters in too many fake annoying situations. But the last 30 minutes is a heart-warming feel-good affair.

The trouble with this film is that it is a mixture of Liar, Liar and Yes Man and they were already successful both featuring Jim Carrey.

Jack McCall (Eddie Murphy) is a literary agent who uses his spiel to get book deals for his clients and willing to stretch the truth to do it. He is trying to get a book deal from a New Age self-help guru, Dr Sinja (Cliff Curtis) who sees through his deceit. Later that night, a Bodhi Tree magically appears in his backyard. Jack discovers that for every word that Jack says, a leaf will fall off of the tree. When the tree runs out of leaves, the tree will die and so will Jack.

In time Jack finds that even written words count towards his limit and if anything happens to the tree will also affect Jack. When Jack tries to cut it down with an axe, an axe wound appears on him. When squirrels climb the tree, it tickles him.

Jack has to deal with life as a man of few words which causes chaos at work and with his personal life. Of course over time Jack becomes a better person as he deals with some past issues in his life regarding his father. You cannot help but smile when he gives the Beatles White album to the Starbucks's worker or finally reads the script from a valet parking attendant and signs him up (the actor playing the attendant is also a writer.)

The film is charming and involving its just not very funny or involves the usual Murphy persona or Jim Carrey style slapstick. Murphy is reined in here which turns off his usual fans and the story is derivative because we have seen it before but its enjoyable in its own right.

Eddie Murphy has been making kid's movies for so long he has forgotten how to make them for adults. Eddie plays Jack McCall, a literary agent who has signed a New Age guru, and has agreed to following the guru's ways in order to get the contract. A tree suddenly appears in Jack's back yard, one that loses a leaf every time Jack says speaks or writes a word. The presumption is that when all the leaves are gone, the tree dies and so does Jack and the movie. What happens to the tree, happens to Jack.

The humor is how Jack, a constant talker, now has to be silent as if his life depended on it. It has that "Liar, Liar" feel to it, it just isn't as funny.

It is a yawner that might work for the 14-16 year old crowd. The movie has some heart warming redeeming value to it, you just have to wait for it until the end. If you want to see Eddie Murphy in his street smart role, try "Tower Heist."

Adult language, no nudity, no real sex.