Scoring a 3.7 out of 10 user rating over at IMDB, it probably won't be the worst rated film I'll cover here, over at Rotten Tomatoes it's got a 9% fresh rating and Empire gave it one star (I'm usually happy with Empire ratings). Norbit is co-written by Eddie Murphy and his brother Charlie, which actually makes the fact Eddie Murphy is in this (in three roles no less) the much more inexcusable.
This is the first film covered here at Bad Movie Breakdown that I didn't even find fun - which goes to say a real lot about the quality of this movie - I am the person who liked parts of Meet Dave and The Adventures Of Pluto Nash after all - Norbit is a "comedy" in the loosest sense, I get what is mean't to be funny - skinny dweeb stuck in a relationship to bullying, overpowering, overweight woman who belittles him at every turn - I get there is mean't to be humour from Murphy playing both parts.
Norbit is given up for adoption as a kid and is adopted by Mr. Wong (played by you guessed it... Eddie Murphy doing an Asian impression straight out of the 70s) and ends up married to the very large Rasputia, however Norbit's childhood sweetheart Kate (Thandie Newton) comes back in town to buy the orphanage they spent time in together, he finds out she is going out with Deoin (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who isn't all he seems.
I'm going to start with the cast - Thandie Newton plays a character that is so one dimensional - her back story and her link to Norbit is her only defining characteristic, you wouldn't really know she was this perfect woman if it wasn't for the backstory.
Norbit is given up for adoption as a kid and is adopted by Mr. Wong (played by you guessed it... Eddie Murphy doing an Asian impression straight out of the 70s) and ends up married to the very large Rasputia, however Norbit's childhood sweetheart Kate (Thandie Newton) comes back in town to buy the orphanage they spent time in together, he finds out she is going out with Deoin (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who isn't all he seems.
I'm going to start with the cast - Thandie Newton plays a character that is so one dimensional - her back story and her link to Norbit is her only defining characteristic, you wouldn't really know she was this perfect woman if it wasn't for the backstory.
Cuba Gooding Jr. - which to me brought echoes of the much more superior Coming To America, which Gooding Jr. had a very small part as somebody getting their haircut - and look's like he is easy going to having the worst career of all time of a Oscar Winner post-win (supporting actor for Jerry Maguire if you didn't know), is inclusion also reminded me of the fact he starred in the Day Care sequel Daddy Day Camp where he replaced Murphy probably for the only reason he was a lot easier to get.
Terry Crews appears as one of Rasputia's bullying brothers, now normally Crews is one of them actors whose may presence in a movie is cause for a laugh breaks that chain easily here.
Eddie Murphy is OTT all throughout the movie, now OTT is not always necessary a bad thing but here it's to compensate for the lack of jokes that hit the mark.
The comedy set-pieces such as the water park scene - fat woman going down water slide - just ends predictably and didn't raise a single titter from me - are never fun.
Terry Crews appears as one of Rasputia's bullying brothers, now normally Crews is one of them actors whose may presence in a movie is cause for a laugh breaks that chain easily here.
Eddie Murphy is OTT all throughout the movie, now OTT is not always necessary a bad thing but here it's to compensate for the lack of jokes that hit the mark.
The comedy set-pieces such as the water park scene - fat woman going down water slide - just ends predictably and didn't raise a single titter from me - are never fun.
Overall - it's never funny and is probably the worst film of Murphy's career so far, which is saying something considering some of the movies he's been in.
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