I popped Eddie Murphy’s comedy, Norbit, into my DVD player, knowing full well how bad it was supposed to be. Richard Roeper has already claimed it for his “worst of” list, as have other critics.
Sometimes I think people are extra hard on Eddie. They still expect Beverly Hills Cop, Delirious or Trading Places out of him. For instance I never thought the universally panned Golden Child was as bad as critics made it out to be.
So I wanted to see how bad Norbit really was.
I popped it in. I skipped past the trailers…although I wanted to pause and look at Transformers again.
And there is the Dreamworks’ “D” appearing in the clouds.
I braced myself to watch Norbit.
I made it through the credits unscathed. And now the movie was rolling.
A funny thing happened within the first 2 minutes of the movie.
I laughed. Not just a snicker or a giggle. I’m talking full-on belly laugh here.
Then another funny thing happened after that first scene.
I never laughed again. At all. Nada.
Norbit is definitely one of the worst movies I have seen this year. I scratch my head wondering how this piece of shit could’ve been written by Charlie Murphy and Eddie, star some of the best African American comics in the country - Marlon Wayans, Everybody Hates Chris’ Terry Crews, Eddie Griffin and above all else, Eddie Murphy in multiple roles and suck. And I forgot hot, hot, hot Thandie Newton.
Norbit tells the story of orphan Norbit (Eddie, looking a lot like Jiff from Bowfinger) who is taken in by Mr. Wong (played by Eddie). At the orphanage, Norbit falls in love with Kate, only to have her adopted and move away. His loneliness as a child, is blocked out (like the moon would eclipse the sun) by Rasputia – a gigantic, mean girl. She declares Norbit is her boyfriend for life.
Cut about 20 years later, Norbit marries Rasputia (also played by Eddie). As an adult, Rasputia is an obese, maniacal, manipulative, ugly (inside and out), woman. Godzilla would be scared. She pushes Norbit around (and he takes it), just as her brothers (Terry Crews, Lester Speight) shake down the town’s merchants for money.
Norbit’s life is beyond depressing until Kate (Thandie Newton) returns to town to buy the orphanage. And she wants Norbit to help her. One problem - Kate is now engaged to an entrepreneur played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Of course Norbit and Kate eventually reunite. There is a big subplot is Cuba Gooding, Jr planning with the Latimore brothers to turn the orphanage into a titty bar.
Yawn.
The theme of Norbit is a respectable one – learning to stand up for what or whom you believe in. But it is buried in spectacularly unfunny fat jokes, physical humor and a script that just plain out sucks!
Also, I don’t understand why this movie is set in a quaint town…with pimps that run a rib shack. Guess the Murphys thought that was funny. And of course, there is the poster child of all movies that are bad – Cuba Gooding, Jr. With this and Daddy Day Camp in his arsenal, he should really consider firing his agent. Thandie Newton and Eddie Murphy have no chemistry at all on scream.
One other thing to note – I am not easily offended. But I do think it’s wrong to represent African American women in this light – the villain is a large, overbearing, loud bitch who also happens to be dark. The heroine is a waifish light-skinned woman with long beautiful hair. Even I think that is going a bit far. Just a thought.
I don’t know how it made 95 million dollars. Guess that is the power of Eddie.
And it will probably get an Oscar nomination. The special effects make-up of Eddie in the roles of Norbit, Rasputia and Mr. Wong is absolutely amazing. Wish the movie lived up to the make-up
MOVIE: 1 BALL POINT PEN
EXTRAS: 3 BALL POINT PENS
Other Eddie Murphy (ie good) you might want to see: Dreamgirls, 48 Hours, Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop 1 & 2, Dr. Doolittle, Bowfinger