Movie Review

“Norbit” directed by Brian Robins

Rating: Two out of Five Stars

If you like fat jokes and lots of Eddie Murphy, than “Norbit” is just the movie you’ve been looking for. Norbit (played by Eddie Murphy) is a quiet, mild-mannered guy who was raised in foster care by Mr. Wong (also played by Eddie Murphy), a wise-cracking Japanese American, and is engaged to a monster of a woman, Rasputia (Eddie Murphy again, but this time in a fat suit). Almost everyone in Norbit’s life has taken advantage of him, except for

Rasputia who stood up for them when they were kids. Now he feels obligated to marry Rasputia, even though she is the obnoxious, overweight fiancé from hell. Things change when Norbit meets beautiful and friendly Kate (Thandie Newton) and he realizes he could have a better life. Of course, Rasputia does everything she can to keep the two apart.

As you can tell, “Norbit” is another one of Eddie Murphy’s multi-role, chameleon-like comic extravaganzas. Only the tactic doesn’t work anywhere as well as it did in his classic movie “Coming to America.” While he and some of the other comic actors who appear in cameos — namely Marlon Wayans, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Kat Williams — do put together some pretty funny moments, they are few and far between. I thought the movie’s humor was too silly and too obvious most of the time, and I really didn’t enjoy it. However, some of my friends I went to see it with laughed a lot and said they liked

“Norbit” well enough. I found the plot pretty predictable, and thought that director Brian Robbins (famous for directing “Good Burger”) stole from old material but couldn’t make it seem new. I’d say the movie is only worth waiting to see it on TV, or maybe even a rental. But if you love Eddie Murphy and this type of comedy, then who am I to stop you?

By DeAndre Brittingham | VOX Staff