06 June 2007
Posted 19:36 by Lon

Norbit is good idea on paper - bad idea on film

by Lon Mills
www.ihatesnakes.com

When I first saw the trailer for this movie I thought it couldn’t fail. Eddie Murphy in makeup and playing multiple characters has always been comedy gold. Coming to America, The Nutty Professor and Bowfinger are very funny films with great performances by Murphy. Unfortunately Norbit fails to live up to the standard for the niche genre he created for himself.

Norbit sounds like a good idea for a movie. A nerdy guy and unattractive woman who have zero social skills get married for the sake of being with someone rather than the sake of loving someone. The premise lends itself to relationship humor and, by using the gimmick of Murphy playing both the husband and the wife, a fun performance by Murphy. Neither is explored in Norbit.

The movie can’t decide if it wants to be a juvenile bodily functions humor movie or a raunchy sex-related comedy. The movie originally received an R rating but appealed the MPAA and won. I’m surprised it didn’t get stuck with the R rating. Not that I care but some of the humor is pretty racy or PG-13. The movie goes from farts and over-the-top slapstick to jokes about breasts, nipples and pubic hair.

The story surrounding the jokes isn’t very clever either. Murphy and his brother, Charlie (of Chappelle’s Show fame), get a story and screenwriting credit for the film. The story involves orphaned Norbit having a sweet relationship with an orphaned girl when he’s young and she gets adopted and he never sees her again. He grows up and meets Raputia when he’s in junior high and she saves him from getting beat up by bullies and she makes him her boyfriend. They grow up and get married, realizing they both would probably never meet anyone else. Enter the lost orphaned girl who’s all grown up and back in town. Norbit is love-stricken again and tries his best to get out of his marriage. Throw in a silly subplot about Rasputia’s brothers trying to turn the local orphanage into a strip club and you get a mean-spirited comedy that isn’t very funny. The slapstick isn’t funny, the dialogue isn’t funny, and the situations aren’t funny.

Eddie Griffin squeaks out a few laughs with his pimp routine that he’s done in movies before (see the Deuce Bigalow movies and Undercover Brother) but it’s not enough to recommend it.

The movie isn’t without positive notes. Rick Baker does a great job with the makeup. The fat suit Murphy wears as Rasputia is better than the suit he wears as The Nutty Professor. It’s Murphy’s performance as Rasputia that throws off the great makeup and costume work.

Eddie Murphy is still a comedic genius, unfortunately Norbit is not.

Norbit is now available on DVD.

Image Copyright © 2007 by Paramount Pictures