Norbit (2007)

User Rating:

3.7/10   

Director:

Brian Robbins

Writers (WGA):

Eddie Murphy (screenplay) &
Charles Q. Murphy (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 February 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Have you ever made a really big mistake?

Plot:

A mild-mannered guy who is engaged to a monstrous woman meets the woman of his dreams, and schemes to find a way to be with her.

Plot Keywords:

Orphan | Pimp | Domestic Violence | Water Slide | Hall

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Eddie Murphy	...	Norbit / Rasputia / Mr. Wong
Thandie Newton	...	Kate Thomas
Terry Crews	...	Big Jack Latimore
Clifton Powell	...	Earl Latimore
Lester Speight	...	Blue Latimore (as Lester 'Rasta' Speight)
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Deion Hughes
Eddie Griffin	...	Pope Sweet Jesus
Katt Williams	...	Lord Have Mercy
Floyd Levine	...	Abe the Tailor
Anthony Russell	...	Giovanni
Pat Crawford Brown	...	Mrs. Henderson
Jeanette Miller	...	Mrs. Coleman
Michael Colyar	...	Morris the Barber
Marlon Wayans	...	Buster
Alexis Rhee	...	Mrs. Ling Ling Wong

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, some nudity and language. (edited for re-rating)

Runtime:

USA:102 min | Philippines:101 min | Argentina:103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12A | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating) | Netherlands:6 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-11 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Germany:12 | Malaysia:U | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:15A | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | USA:R (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Agoura, California, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

In the USA was originally rated R but was reduced to PG-13 on appeal.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the Italian restaurant, the door behind Rasputia alternates from slightly open to completely shut between shots.

Quotes:

Rasputia: Go over and get another wine cooler. It's hot as hell out here. Don't you see I'm sweltering?
Norbit: Rasputia, you can't drink wine.
Rasputia: Why the hell not?
Norbit: You're with child.
Rasputia: With child? I ain't with no... Oh. Oh, that was... I had gas. I still got it.
Rasputia: [farts] There's your child. Now go get me something to drink.
Rasputia: [farts again] Twins!

Movie Connections:

References Riverdance: The Show (1995)

Soundtrack:

Between the Sheets

Sad

First let me say ... I am an Eddie Murphy fan. I think he's a comic genius. And that's why I was so surprised to see him star in and even write such a low level and offensive comedy.

The first few minutes of the film started out with a little promise, but it didn't take long for the film to fall to such a low level that I cringed from early in until the movie was over. And even though I watched to nearly the end, I demanded my money back. It's only the second time I've ever done that, and I'm an avid film goer.

What was so offensive? I don't know where to begin. Most obviously, every "fat" gag in the book was used. Eddie Murphy plays an overweight woman who is ugly and evil, and every nasty thing you can think to say about her is said. To make it worse, the leading lady is Thandie Newton who is extremely thin, which only goes to further emphasize the other extreme.

Maybe Eddie Murphy thought he could get away with this because he shows, in The Nutty Professor, how an overweight man can "get the girl". But, really, that just shows the extreme double standard that remains when it comes to overweight men versus women.

Now, I'm a realist, and I know that the double standard is not Eddie Murphy's fault. Still, he plays on it here in such a nasty way that it offended me, an open minded, in-shape male. And for those who argue that it's the character's attitude and not her weight that made her "the bad guy", then why make her fat in the first place. And why have so many nasty fat jokes.

The movie was offensive on other levels too. The racial humor wasn't funny. There are some lines with attempts at humor that really go too far. Many of you who have seen it will understand what I mean. And those who haven't, I hope you don't support this film out of curiosity. Please, wait for cable. There is nothing in this that you can't wait to see.

I heard that it was Eddie Murphy's brother who came up with this idea. If EM did this as a favor to his brother, he could have done his brother, and himself a bigger favor by bringing Charlie in on a better project and tossing this script.

On the one positive note: Eddie Murphy does put his all into these characters as always. His job as Norbit gets lost in the low class, low level "comedy". Even though I just saw the film, I had to really remember that his performance as Norbit was decent. All I can think about is how offended I was, and how thoroughly depressed an overweight woman sitting at the end of my row looked throughout most of the film (she left before I did).