Norbit (2007)

via Etch A Sketchist

I know Norbit is going to be crap.
My expectations are low but here's the reason I want to give it a chance. I was reading an interview with Jon Lovitz on the effervescent AV Club, and he made this argument about Eddie Murphy-

"I was like, “What do you have to do?” He’s playing seven different characters, and he’s funny and dramatic. He’s playing men, women, old people, young people, fat people—everything he’s not.  Now how could he not win the Oscar for that? It’s because they go, “Well, he’s just being silly.” No. It’s so hard you have no idea. They’re jealous."

Um... Okay Jon, I'll meet you halfway but lets not throw around the 'O' word. Eddie Murphy is definitely not sleepwalking through these films- you can't be, if you're playing 6 people and they're all in the same scene. And then, I notice Norbit is on so i thought maybe it's time for me to revaluate what Eddie Murphy does.


I've always wondered what happened to Eddie Murphy. He used to make the great films like Trading Places and Coming to America and he was this great stand-up, i only have to think about 'the phone-call with Bill Cosby' bit and i'm smiling- i always thought he just must have been tired with playing the loud, foul-mouthed witty asshole. I mean the best thing, he'd done in the last 15years was the Buddy Love bits (with Dave Chappelle) in The Nutty Professor and that was just battle of the Assholes. 
But then i realised he has been playing assholes- they were just family-friendly assholes, where he learns a lesson in the end. Well, I call bullshit on that- I'd like to see to see Eddie strutting around a stage talking about Mel B. and telling me how she thought, her shit didn't stink but that she was wrong and her shit did and so on and so forth.

Okay, Norbit is no return to form but I'm gonna stick up for it. I had hardened myself for an onslaught of shit and vomit and obesity gags but I was pleased there were no vomit gags, 1 fart joke and... and well, 2 outta 3 ain't bad. The film become really enjoyable when (and stay with me on this) Eddie Griffin and Katt Williams turn up as former pimps because they get to deliver gems like:-

"Poor Norbit. Man. Back when I was in the game, used to tell my hos, "Hos, ain't no man gonna pay for the cow if he can get the milk for free." You ain't gonna worry about this brother buying the milk, 'cause he just bought the whole damn cow."
"That's a special cow, too. That must be where butter milk come from."

So as i've said Norbit's no return to form but i feel like it's Eddie swimming back to the shore. He helped to write it and he's only playing 3 different characters (Norbit, his repugnant wife Rasputia and the racist ass/benevolent softy Mr Wong) and it feels like (to me) Eddie is beginning to wind down. For example, there's the role of a greazy fitness trainer that in previous films, Eddie would have played like a shot but here he hands it off to Marlon Wayans and admittedly, the film would probably be better if he wasn't there (it does however highlight, the 'level' in this film, where he tells someone to 'make like the Bible and turn the other cheek' only to physically turnaround and be buttnaked- That's the level here, folks. Probably not for you.) BUT compared to The Klumps or the cultural anthrax that Friedberg & Seltzer produce like Meet The Spartans, it seems like high subtlety.


(For clarity, i lost this review trying to edit it and did a rush rewrite.. it's only half as good as i remember it.)


I watched Norbit on Sunday 2 Jan on BBC1-lllllate-night.
My 2011 in Movies with return with Owning Mahonwy (2003)