Norbit (2007)

Review from ./nytimes.com
acirc;€œNorbit,” a raucous, sloppy comedy directed by Brian Robbins, is primarily a showcase for the talents of its star, Eddie Murphy (also credited as a producer and a screenwriter), and Rick Baker, who was in charge of “special makeup effects.” Mr. Murphy’s polymorphous sketch-comedy chops have previously been enhanced by Mr. Baker’s mastery of fat-suit and latex-mask techniques in the two “Nutty Professor” movies. In this film the makeup, along with editing tricks and visual effects, allow Mr. Murphy to play three different characters. Mr. Robbins’s direction is adequate. He doesn’t mess up the story — it was a mess to...more

Review from imdb
A new standard for the distasteful

As they say in "Casablanca," I've been misinformed. Still, most of the responsibility belongs with me.

Misinformed by the promising cast of "Norbit" - Eddie Murphy, Thandie Newton, Clifton Powell, Cuba Gooding Jr. - a whole bunch of talented folk. My fault: not connecting the title with those horrid advertising snippets where an 800-pound female Murphy squashes a sort of male Murphy like a bug, with an unbelievably stereotyped bucktooth "Chinese" Murphy doing unspeakable things.

Honestly, I did not make the connection, and perhaps if I did, I might have thought those preview shots...more

Review from accessatlanta.com
I hope not. That would be a real shame. Gee bee wizzy wig No. People are overreacting as usual. There is nothing wrong with this movie. Folks just need to remember that this is only entertainment. In actuality, many of the critics need to take a stroll through Atlanta on any given night and they will see an abundance of huge women who are dressed quite skimpy who actually think they look good; knowing they are too big for the clothes they are wearing. I like Eddie Murphy in any movie and as much money as he has made for the...more

Review from ./citypaper.com
Eddie Murphy reaches a new low every other time he makes a movie, so the only surprise about Norbit is how quickly it comes on the heels of his Dreamgirls Oscar nod. Donning heavy makeup to play multiple characters of different genders and races has served Murphy well in the past, as in Coming to America and to a lesser extent in the massively overrated Nutty Professor flicks. But the appeal of that gag is stretched like spandex on a fat lady in Norbit, wherein he plays the title character (the same kind of bland nice guy with a speech impediment...more

Review from ./ericdsnider.com
It's really sad about Eddie Murphy. Here he gets nominated for an Oscar (and deservedly so, one could argue) for "Dreamgirls" -- and then people will see "Norbit" and not vote for him purely out of spite. They may have a point. "Norbit" reminds us that "Dreamgirls" was a fluke for Murphy -- not in terms of his performance, which is typically laudable, but in terms of his choice of material, which (apart from the mostly harmless family flicks) has been questionable for most of his career. "I Spy"? "The Adventures of Pluto Nash"? "Showtime"? "Life"? "Holy Man"? "Vampire in Brooklyn"?...more

Review from ./reel.com
A wussy guy meets the woman of his dreams. Too bad he's already married to a man-eating she-beast. The Eddie Murphy vehicle Norbit is all over the map in terms of style, and that's part of its appeal—it's simultaneously genuinely sweet and totally vulgar without either tone canceling out the other. In fact, if anything, the innocuous love story at the movie's core gives the audience permission to laugh at jokes that would otherwise be considered racist, sexist, or just downright cruel. Norbit makes jokes at the expense of the handicapped, the overweight, and a broad array of ethnicities, but...more

Review from ./slantmagazine.com
ne must wonder if someone at Paramount has an old score to settle with Eddie Murphy, because the release of Norbit in the weeks leading up to this February's Oscar ceremony is nothing short of the dirtiest possible means of potentially upsetting the man's chances of recognition for his work in Dreamgirls. Not having seen the performance, I can't attest to its caliber, but it's surely not one to be aided by the embarrassing television spots circulating the airwaves for this return to the gluttonous form of his Nutty Professor films. However, despite the rankness put forth by its advertising campaign,...more

Review from ./themovieinsider.com
Eddie Murphy, Thandie Newton, Cuba Gooding Jr., Eddie Griffi, Terry Crews. Prod. Rated for crude and sexual humor, some nudity and language. A meek guy is pressed into marrying a monstrous woman When he subsequently meets the woman of his dreams, he has to figure out a way to be with her. AllPosters.com - Search for related movie posters and prints. Internet Movie Database (IMDb) - Features plot summaries, reviews, cast lists and theater schedules. Wikipedia: hyperlinked synopsis of the movie. Rotten Tomatoes - Features the consensus opinion of professional critics from across the nation. Avg. <FONT...more