Norbit (2007)

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 & 7 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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:

One scene shows Rasputia watching a talk show with a paternity test theme. Eddie Murphy endured a paternity scandal before the film's theatrical run, involving Spice Girl Melanie Brown. A DNA test confirmed the actor was the baby's father.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the two twins beat up norbit at the beginning in the first shot one of the boys is seen punching norbit in the next he is shaking him, than in the next shot hes punching him again.

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:

Spoofs Flashdance (1983)

Soundtrack:

Tonight I Celebrate My Love

Tagline runs true... have you ever made a really big mistake?

Walking into the movie one must admit they aren't expecting the same comedic genius as a Mel Brook's film, but perhaps that was the main draw of "Norbit" in the first place. Personally, I walked in expecting a ridiculously vile and obscenely immature show of comedy. I walked away seeing a lackluster prequel to Dr. Dolittle and The Nutty Proffesor combined. It would be honestly hard to say anything in this film is worth seeing, aside from the few momentary chuckles provided by Eddie Griffin and Katt Williams as stereotypical pimps (a consistently typecast role both have fallen into).

As it can be best surmised, Eddy Murphy has inadvertently passed the torch, from his hysterically funny prime in stand up comedy (see: Eddy Murphy - RAW) and the Beverly Hills Cops franchise, to the mainstream Hollywood "everything is predictable" yawn-fest which is NORBIT. The script is nothing more than the recycled remains of every romantic comedy stir fried with an inexcusable amount of fat jokes and simmered over an unbelievably whipped pathetic excuse for a main character by the utterly incomprehensible name of Norbit.

Simply stated, if you are over the age of 10, you will not enjoy a single second of this movie. If you want to see a funny fat movie with Eddy Murphy rent The Nutty Professor and save yourself two laugh less hours of gaggingly pathetic fat jokes and continuity errors. It seems Norbit is one big joke, oddly enough however, no one is laughing.