Mr. Church

Eddie Murphy’s motor-mouthed slapstick from the past is nowhere to be found in Mr. Church, a sappy and predictable drama that finds him playing a fascinating character in need of a better movie.

In his first starring role in four years, Murphy’s understated portrayal is a highlight in an otherwise heavy-handed examination of the way in which troubled souls come together to form surrogate families.

He plays the title role, a chef by trade who works for Marie (Natascha McElhone) and her young daughter, Charlie, in Los Angeles during the 1960s. He was hired by Marie’s boyfriend, before he died, to watch over them as Marie battles a terminal cancer diagnosis that gives her six months to live.

Charlie is unaware of the arrangement or her mother’s illness, but her resentment toward the reclusive yet always-proper Mr. Church diminishes as she learns to share his appreciation for jazz music, reading classic literature and cooking terrific food.

As time passes, they remain close, even as Charlie (Britt Robertson) transitions into adulthood and becomes a struggling single mother of her own, and Mr. Church refuses to pass judgment. It’s only when Charlie invades his treasured privacy that their relationship is threatened.

Their bond is mostly unspoken by nature, which tends to keep both characters at an emotional distance to an extent. Murphy, in particular, is challenged to convey feelings more through body language and voice inflection than through dialogue, which is certainly atypical given his resume. He mostly pulls it off and elevates the material.

As piloted by veteran director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy), the film has an underlying old-fashioned sweetness to match the evocative period touches sprinkled amid the coming-of-age formula.

Yet the screenplay by Susan McMartin — which apparently has autobiographical roots — remains stuck in Hallmark Hall of Fame territory, straining to be uplifting and tugging too aggressively at the heartstrings while lecturing about treasuring the most important people in your life.

That approach compromises some of the film’s more effective character-driven moments, especially in the second half, when personal details are revealed that allow for more narrative momentum.

With a title character that works as a chef, however, Mr. Church needs more delectable food shots to balance out the melodrama it serves up, which is considerably less than appetizing.

Rated PG-13, 104 minutes.