Actor Eddie Murphy is back to his usual comedy in the recently released "Norbit," a com-romance drowning in crude humor and poorly conceived plot threads directed by Brian Robbins ("The Perfect Score").
Unlike Oscar-favorite nominee and in SAG award-winning "Dreamgirls," Murphy's latest is less than prize-worthy.
The film opens with narration by Murphy in the lisping voice of the title character, our spectacle-sporting, diffident hero. It is night, and a car speeds along a desolate road toward an orphanage. As the car passes by, a baby wrapped in a blanket is carelessly tossed out and rolls toward the orphanage's front door. Two ravaged coyotes take notice of the newcomer and trot over. Just then, the door opens and an aging Chinese man looks down at the boy, sighs, then exclaims, "You ugry brack baby!" This is the infant geek, and just as viewers think things can only go up from here, they don't.
Norbit grows up in the orphanage under the care of Mr. Wong (Murphy) and bides his time with fellow orphan Kate (Thandie Newton, "The Pursuit of Happyness"). When Kate is adopted, Norbit is left alone and bullied — that is until enormously rotund Rasputia (Murphy) takes him under her wing, names him her boyfriend, and before long marries him. When Kate re-enters Norbit's life, now engaged to suave Deion (Cuba Gooding Jr., "End Game"), Norbit has to figure out how to leave Rasputia for the one he really loves.
Murphy steals every scene with his three contrasting characters. In fact, it would not seem far-fetched to assume the whole motivation of the film is to showcase Murphy's ranging talents playing multiple roles.
First he plays Norbit, an uncertain gangly figure obliging his tyrannical wife's every whim. When she wants him to role-play, he does, even though he knows that every time she pounces he will be crushed under her bulging weight and the bed hinges will give way. It's funny at first but is dizzily repeated and overdone.
The main fault with Norbit's character is his general lack of initiative and dull demeanor, although this is intentional on Murphy's part. The audience is meant to side with Norbit's character and root for his escape from the wicked Rasputia, although since every action is predictable the desire is only half-heartedly achieved.
Murphy's Rasputia is endlessly cruel while maintaining a highly unrealistic sense of self-worth. She is bootylicious without being Fergalicious (although she would say otherwise), and her signature catchphrase, a brassy "How you doin'?" shows her commanding nature.
Mr. Wong is depicted as a stereotypical Chinese elder harnessing a Japanese accent and spewing black jokes. Murphy seeks to justify this because he himself is black, and it's OK for him to say them — in pure Murphy fashion, he is not afraid to make the humor as blatant as possible.
The film does hold some memorable knee-slapping moments, such as Rasputia squeezing into the driver's seat and pressing the horn with her Big Momma breasts as she sits there.
All the same, the plot suffers when the focus is merely delivering humorous lines and racy language, as is evident with the story lines of Rasputia's three older brothers, all equally as "abdominous" and harassing as she is. Their role in the film is important, but the characters themselves are hardly developed and lack complexity.
The same is true for the town's two ex-pimps, Pope Sweet Jesus (Eddie Griffin, "Date Movie") and Lord Have Mercy (Katt Williams, "Epic Movie"), although their scenes offer a lighter humor to the film that is much needed and appreciated.
Ultimately, in watching "Norbit," there is a strange sense of having seen it before. The Klumps come to mind, as do many other of Murphy's past movies. Although the characters have changed, the humor has not. It seeks to make the audience laugh, but more often than not renders groans or uncomfortable laughter.
Still, those who enjoyed "The Nutty Professor" will likely enjoy "Norbit." But if you want to see Eddie Murphy display some unmasked, heartfelt talent, see "Dreamgirls" instead.
Grade: 1.5 out of 5
