The career of Eddie Murphy strikes me as one of the bigger missed opportunities in recent Hollywood history. Here’s a guy who had seemingly boundless potential- capable of being both bitingly-funny and old-movie-star charming, he’s got what studio executives call “across-the-board appeal.” Yet he practically seems allergic to making solid career choices. There was some hope a few years ago that his supporting role in Dreamgirls might portend some further artistic growth for Murphy, but alas, it wasn’t to be (ahem, Norbit). So it seems like we’re stuck with the same two Eddie Murphy vehicles until the end of time- scatological makeup-heavy comedies (should we consider Rick Baker an enabler?) and shticky kids’ movies. This one falls into the second category, and as far as movies like this go, this one looks OK, although Murphy appears to be doing the same old routines again, and the premise- awwww, the career-driven single dad gets more successful at work by spending time with his little girl- would be cloying and far-fetched even without the magic blanket. Still, I can’t help but wonder what kind of work Murphy might be doing if he wasn’t so damn afraid of stepping out of his comfort zone.