Norbit

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Thandie Newton, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Eddie Griffin, Katt Williams, Terry Crews, Marlon Wayans
Directed by: Brian Robbins
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Romance
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Norbit (Eddie Murphy) is an orphan raised by Mr. Wong (Eddie Murphy) and eventually marries the overweight and unpleasant Rasputia (Eddie Murphy). His life changes he is reunited with his childhood friend, Kate (Thandie Newton) and wonders how his life could have turned out differently.

Review:

Tim: This movie is absolutely awful. I can't even begin to describe how terrible it is, and how upset I am that I wasted 102 minutes of my life on this. The move has almost no redeeming qualities at all. It is completely and totally worthless.

I have to comment on the cast. Eddie Murphy plays a handful of roles, a gimmick that has worked well for him before (The Nutty Professor). It doesn't work here. First, as the titular Norbit, Murphy is annoying, playing a complete loser with a heart of gold. He is not funny in the least here. He looks ridiculous and it sucks watching him on screen. As Rasputia, Murphy is way, way too over the top. The movie tries to get cheap laughs by playing on all the stereotypes you would associate with fat people. Rasputia is basically an amalgamation of all the worst thoughts and ideas you would have about fat people. She is a horrible human being, a living, breathing stereotype. She is awful. The character is so far beyond any reasonable idea of how disgusting and selfish a human being could be that she comes across as pathetic. Murphy is just as bad playing her. The rest of the cast, including Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Eddie Griffin add nothing to the film.

I do need to mention Thandie Newton. In general, I am not a very big fan of her. In most of the films I've seen, she adds very little. However, in this movie, she is miraculously a breath of fresh air. She is likeable, gives a good performance, and somehow rises above all the crap that surrounds her. I can't even begin to explain how she pulls this off, but Newton manages to be good in a complete disaster of a movie. This is stunning, and she represents the only good aspect of the movie, in my eyes.

Norbit is a complete disaster of a movie. Eddie Murphy was funny once, but with turds like this, that is getting harder and harder to remember. I can't believe more than 2 people in the world could have thought that anything in this movie was funny. I absolutely hated every second of this film, and I sincerely hope I can get the images of it out of my mind as quickly as possible.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 1.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
The Nutty Professor, Daddy Day Care