Skip to content
Now Playing Podcast
  • Movie ReviewsExpand
    • New Movie Reviews
    • Upcoming Review Schedule
    • Curated PicksExpand
      • Now Playing Podcast Staff Picks
      • Now Playing Podcast Approved
      • Brown Arrow Films
    • Retrospective SeriesExpand
      • Recent SeriesExpand
        • Lake Placid
        • Mario
        • Star Wars
      • All Series
      • One-Off Movie Reviews
      • Patron Exclusive Reviews
    • Frequent PlayersExpand
      • Most Reviewed Actors
      • Most Reviewed Directors
      • Golden Headphones
  • Book ReviewsExpand
    • Recent Book Reviews
  • Other PodcastsExpand
    • Intermission Podcasts
    • Interviews
    • Broadway Reviews
    • Friday the 13th Series Wrap-Up
    • The Now Playing Christmas Special (2008)
    • All Podcasts
  • Support Our ShowExpand
    • Now Playing Podcast Winter/Spring 2026 Donation Drive
    • Join our Patreon
    • Support on Apple Podcasts
    • Get Bonus Shows in our Patreon Store
  • SubscribeExpand
    • Our IN FOCUS Newsletter
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify
    • Amazon Music
    • YouTube
    • Android
    • Podbean
    • TuneIn
    • iHeartRadio
    • Pocket Casts
    • Podchaser
    • Audacy
    • RSS Feed
  • AboutExpand
    • The Now Playing Podcast Team
    • About Now Playing Podcast
  • Contact Us
Now Playing Podcast
  1. Home
  2. Movies
  3. Individual Movie Reviews
  4. The Golden Child

The Golden Child

The podcast is good to keep the yang up!

Green Arrow
Red Arrow Red Arrow
🎙️ Premium Episode
Patreon
Podcast Series
Individual Movie Reviews
Podcast Series
Individual Movie Reviews
Our Review Published September 8, 2011

After the massive success of Beverly Hills Cop, Eddie Murphy had the clout to make just about any movie he wanted, and the result was supernatural detective adventure The Golden Child. A script originally intended for Mad Max Mel Gibson, Murphy changes the mood by being a wisecracking social worker drawn into a mystical quest to rescue a kidnapped child believed to be a holy figure, while sinister cult leader Charles Dance works to bring darkness into the world. From ancient daggers to the infamous “butt pie” scene, this 1986 fantasy-comedy is a strange blend of action, laughs, and New Age weirdness. Does The Golden Child still sparkle, or is it a relic of Murphy’s ’80s superstardom? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Brock on this bonus podcast to find out!

This Podcast Is for Supporters. Here’s How to Access It.

Now Playing Podcast is ad-free and sponsor-free, funded entirely by listeners. Your support lets us release new episodes every Tuesday without interruption.

Here’s how to support Now Playing Podcast and unlock this exclusive podcast:

Individual Purchase

Prefer a one-time option? Purchase this podcast individually through the Patreon Digital Shop.

Tip: Prices are higher in the Patreon iOS app. Use the Patreon website to save.

Get This Show on Patreon

Every contribution counts. However you support, it helps keep Now Playing Podcast going. Thanks for making the show possible.

Hear More Reviews of Films From
Michael Ritchie
Hear All Reviews of Films Featuring
Aron Kincaid Bob Tzudiker Charles Dance Conrad Hurtt Eddie Murphy Frank Welker Gene LeBell James Hong Masanori Toguchi Peter Kwong Pons Maar Randall 'Tex' Cobb Shakti Chen Tau Logo Victor Wong Chi-Keung +1 more
Buy on Amazon Affiliate Link

The Golden Child

1986 PG-13 1h 34m

After a Tibetan boy, the mystical Golden Child, is kidnapped by the evil Sardo Numspa, humankind's fate hangs in the balance. On the other side of the world in Los Angeles, the priestess Kee Nang seeks the Chosen One, who will save the boy from death. When Nang sees social worker Chandler Jarrell on television discussing his ability to find missing children, she solicits his expertise, despite his skepticism over being "chosen."

Release Date
December 12, 1986
Director
Michael Ritchie
Writer
Dennis Feldman
Stars
Eddie Murphy, Charles Dance, Charlotte Lewis, J.L. Reate, Victor Wong Chi-Keung, Randall "Tex" Cobb, James Hong, Shakti Chen, Tau Logo, Masanori Toguchi , Pons Maar, Peter Kwong, Wally Taylor, Eric Douglas, Charles Levin, Frank Welker, Gene LeBell, Kenneth H. Frith Jr., Bennett Ohta, Chantara Nop, Bob Tzudiker, Cliffy Magee, Judy Hudson, Ron Packham, Marilyn Schreffler, Conrad Hurtt, Aron Kincaid, Ron Veto
See 18 more ▼ Show less ▲
Producer
Robert D. Wachs, Edward S. Feldman
Cinematography
Donald E. Thorin
Music
Michel Colombier
Genre
Action, Adventure, Comedy
Country
United States of America
Language
Mandarin, English, Tibetan
Budget
$25,000,000
External Links
IMDb | TMDB

Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More from the Individual Movie Reviews series

See All 202 →
Now Playing Approved

Miracle Mile

The Date After

Reviewed Mar 20, 2026
Now Playing Approved

Poor Things

Franken-Stone

Reviewed Feb 27, 2026

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Raging Ghoul

Reviewed Feb 24, 2026

Dracula

Vlad The Impersonator

Reviewed Feb 10, 2026
Now Playing Approved

The Fencer

Mr Stalin's Opus

Reviewed Jan 30, 2026
Now Playing Approved

Scrooged

Yule Love It

Reviewed Dec 5, 2025
Now Playing Approved

Frankenstein (2025)

Father Knows Beast

Reviewed Nov 25, 2025
Now Playing Approved Staff Pick

Moneyball

Takes Me Out Of The Ballgame

Reviewed Nov 2, 2025

Maniac Cop

Blue Lives Molder

Reviewed Oct 31, 2025

The People Under the Stairs

Last House On The Right

Reviewed Sep 26, 2025
Brown Arrow

Congo

Laser guns and monkey suits? How has SyFy not made five s...

Reviewed Jun 20, 2025
Now Playing Approved

Weird Science

The Breastfed Club

Reviewed May 23, 2025

If You Liked This, Check Out...

Lake Placid 3

The Secret Life Of Pets

Reviewed Apr 10, 2026
2026 movies

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Now You’re Playing With Millennials 

Reviewed Apr 7, 2026

Lake Placid

Do have a cow, man!  

Reviewed Mar 27, 2026

Alligator 2: The Mutation

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back In The Sewer

Reviewed Mar 13, 2026
Annette Benning

The Bride!

Speaking In Tongues

Reviewed Mar 10, 2026

Darkman III: Die Darkman Die

I’ve Got 99 Minutes And My Bitch Face Runs

Reviewed Jan 20, 2026

Darkman II: The Return of Durant

Always replace your divots (never your lead actors)

Reviewed Jan 13, 2026

Anaconda (2025)

Tropic Blunder

Reviewed Jan 9, 2026
Now Playing Approved

Darkman

The Phantom Menace

Reviewed Jan 6, 2026

Anacondas: Trail of Blood

Reviewed Jan 2, 2026
Now Playing Approved

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

You Only Live Twice

Reviewed Dec 30, 2025

Anaconda 3: Offspring

On the 13th Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave to me… ...

Reviewed Dec 26, 2025

More Films Directed by Michael Ritchie

Fletch Lives

Schlong of the South

Reviewed Nov 29, 2022

Fletch

Beverly Hills Copycat

Reviewed Nov 22, 2022
  • Privacy Statement
  • Opt-out preferences
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer
  • Home

© 2026 Now Playing Podcast, Venganza Media Inc.

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
  • Manage options
  • Manage services
  • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
  • Read more about these purposes
View preferences
  • {title}
  • {title}
  • {title}
  • Movie Reviews
    • New Movie Reviews
    • Upcoming Review Schedule
    • Curated Picks
      • Now Playing Podcast Staff Picks
      • Now Playing Podcast Approved
      • Brown Arrow Films
    • Retrospective Series
      • Recent Series
        • Lake Placid
        • Mario
        • Star Wars
      • All Series
      • One-Off Movie Reviews
      • Patron Exclusive Reviews
    • Frequent Players
      • Most Reviewed Actors
      • Most Reviewed Directors
      • Golden Headphones
  • Book Reviews
    • Recent Book Reviews
  • Other Podcasts
    • Intermission Podcasts
    • Interviews
    • Broadway Reviews
    • Friday the 13th Series Wrap-Up
    • The Now Playing Christmas Special (2008)
    • All Podcasts
  • Support Our Show
    • Now Playing Podcast Winter/Spring 2026 Donation Drive
    • Join our Patreon
    • Support on Apple Podcasts
    • Get Bonus Shows in our Patreon Store
  • Subscribe
    • Our IN FOCUS Newsletter
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify
    • Amazon Music
    • YouTube
    • Android
    • Podbean
    • TuneIn
    • iHeartRadio
    • Pocket Casts
    • Podchaser
    • Audacy
    • RSS Feed
  • About
    • The Now Playing Podcast Team
    • About Now Playing Podcast
  • Contact Us