Murphy fails at 'comedy' expectation in Norbit

February 12, 2007 —

Eddie Murphy's dramatic part in the Oscar-nominated Dreamgirls allowed him to flash off a dimension of his acting capabilities scarcely seen during his 25-year career. His performance has even landed him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

But we all knew the role was only a detour from the norm, not a new direction.

With Norbit, Murphy returns to his comedic stomping grounds and nearly undoes everything he accomplished in Dreamgirls.

He carries on his tradition of playing multiple, vastly different characters, an impressive feat undermined by the fact that it is done for the sake of cliche gags and safe slapstick humor.

Norbit also adds another chapter to the confusing obsession of slender males playing portly female characters.

Murphy pulls double duty by playing the two lead roles, the feeble title character and his portly, brutish wife, Rasputia, who latched onto him during their childhood and has yet to let go.

Living a life Rasputia has filled with verbal abuse, intimidation, and broken beds, Norbit leads a timid and meaningless existence until his childhood love, Kate (Crash's Thandie Newton), returns to town.

Although I knew beforehand the brand of humor Norbit promised to deliver wasn't my type, I went in with an open mind. I was reminded why it was closed in the first place.

There is considerable talent within the film, but the script is so unimaginative, director Brian Robbins would have been better suited to just round up the cast of House Party 4 for all the difference the ensemble ultimately makes.

Midway through, it became more entertaining to count how many times the boom microphone appeared in the picture (five) than follow anything else going on in the movie.

As Norbit progresses, it becomes lazy and subsequently more reliant on cliche gags like Rasputia's monstrous frame. And let's not forget her repetitive catchphrase, "How YOU doin'?" which is sure to become a drinking game favorite when the movie hits DVD.

The only consistent comic relief comes from a pair of former pimps (Katt Williams and Eddie Griffin) who now spend their days peddling ribs and offering words of wisdom about things like ribbed condoms.

While nothing groundbreaking comes from the duo, their dialogue shows more creativity than the bulk of the script.

One can only imagine how the collaboration process went for Norbit, but it obviously involved the writers agreeing that showing Rasputia almost naked the 13th time would be even funnier than the previous 12.

Among all of the negative aspects, though, Murphy's skills for character magic cannot be overlooked.

The characters he plays often appear onscreen simultaneously, but thanks to makeup and Murphy's own acting abilities, it's easy to forget he is in essence verbally abusing himself.

It is clear Norbit is intended to be a comedy that warms the heart. The comedic misfires prevent that, though, which leaves it feeling more like one of those rare Lifetime movies where the man is victimized by the woman.

The bulk of the players in the movie are capable of more. They've shown it elsewhere.

Here, they are victims of weak material and as it was, I left the theater clutching my ticket to ensure reimbursement.