As I walked out of the theater after watching “Tower Heist,” I have to admit I felt let down. I’m a big fan of movies and it really takes a lot for me to dislike any film. Over the years, there have only been a few that I truly couldn’t stand. Although “Tower Heist” doesn’t fall in that specific category, it falls into another that is almost as bad. This category is known as “Movies I’m Excited to See That Really Disappoint Me.”

Leading up to opening day, “Tower Heist” appeared to have quite a bit going for it. Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy head the cast with well-known actors Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Tea Leoni and Alan Alda in supporting roles. That’s a lot of actors who are good at what they do. Unfortunately, almost all of them are underused or more surprisingly, not funny.

For anyone who hasn’t seen the trailer of the film, the premise isn’t too complicated. The staff of a luxurious high-rise in New York discovers that all of their money is gone after one of the tenants, wealthy businessman Arthur Shaw, played well here by Alan Alda, crafted a ponzi scheme and stole their pensions. In retaliation, a few of the employees, led by Stiller, come together and concoct a plan to rob $20 million from Shaw’s penthouse apartment.

Now, this whole action/comedy mash up is usually one that I tend to enjoy. Stiller’s last attempt at this “Tropic Thunder,” was really good. Stiller was his usual hilarious self in that role, but the actors around him really made that movie shine. The same can’t be said about this attempt.

The most glaring mistake appears to be the miscasting of Affleck as Charlie Gibbs. Gibbs is a fellow employee and brother-in-law to Stiller’s character Josh Kovacs. Don’t get me wrong, Affleck is a great dramatic actor and is terrific in films such as “Gone Baby Gone” or “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” However, in this role he just doesn’t have much to do and what he does do is not funny and it’s downright boring.

The rest of the supporting cast do what they can with what little good material they’re given. Broderick is the funniest of the bunch and has a few good one-liners as Mr. Fitzhugh, a recently bankrupt investor who joins the employees robbing Shaw.

The real stars of the movie, Stiller and Murphy, walk completely different paths in this film. Stiller, honestly, isn’t funny. This is probably the most disappointing thing about the entire film. His character is good-hearted and lovable, but also kind of bland. I don’t recall laughing out loud at any joke he made in the entire movie. Murphy, however, is a revelation.

I think the last time I saw a movie where Eddie Murphy was funny as a person, not a talking donkey, was 1998’s “Dr. Dolittle.” It’s been a long time coming for Murphy and as Slide, a petty thief the rest of the gang recruits to teach them how to steal, Murphy is back in top comedic form.

Sadly, this resurgence comes in a film where most of the other characters are majorly lacking in the comedy department. Which begs the question: does he just appear funnier because every else is so dull? I’d like to hope the answer is no, but only time, and more comedic film roles, will tell.