Product Description

Norbit (Eddie Murphy) has never had it easy. As a baby, he was abandoned on the steps of a Chinese restaurant/orphanage and raised by Mr. Wong (Eddie Murphy). Things get worse when he’s forced into marriage by the mean, junk food-chugging queen, Rasputia (Eddie Murphy). Just when Norbit’s hanging by his last thread, his childhood sweetheart, Kate (Thandie Newton), moves back to town. In the comedy Norbit, he’ll show them all that nice guys sometimes finish first.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8601 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2007-06-05
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 102 minutes

Amazon.com
Eddie Murphy stars and stars in this very broad and raucous comedy that finds the Oscar-nominated Dreamgirls actor revisiting the multiple-character shtick that worked so well for him in Coming to America and The Nutty Professor. The latter's makeup-effects artist, Rick Baker, once again transforms Murphy into a variety of grotesques and caricatures, including the hugely fat, monstrous Rasputia, the Asian Mr. Wong, and the timorous Norbit, a nervous orphan raised by Wong and married to Rasputia. The latter, a member of a construction family with a plan to turn Wong's orphanage into a strip club, is a relentlessly narcissistic shrew who puts the screws on Norbit at every turn, especially when he rediscovers his love for an old friend, Kate (Thandie Newton). Kate's wish to buy and maintain the orphanage herself is secretly compromised by her fiancé (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), who is in cahoots with Rasputia's family and using Norbit to further their agenda.

Extraordinarily silly, frequently crude and mean-spirited to an extreme, Norbit is far more sour than The Nutty Professor. But there are moments of inspiration, especially a wedding interrupted by wannabe pimps who launch a profane gospel groove, and a dog that talks to Norbit while he is semi-conscious. For the most part, though, Norbit impresses as a technical marvel utilizing careful shot design and skillful editing. Murphy participates in several remarkable, three-character scenes in which he happens to be all three characters, and those moments move so briskly it's easy to forget one is looking at a comic stunt. --Tom Keogh

Stills from Norbit (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

So Funny!!!!
People who compare this role to the role Eddie played in Dreamgirls are silly, these are 2 totally different movies. Norbit is crude humor at it's best, if you are easily offended or looking for a serious drama, don't purchase or rent this movie and the nutty professor, it is not! Eddie plays multiple roles excellently as we know, the film also stars Cuba Goodin Jr.,Thandie Newton and a hilarious cameo from Marlon Wayans, not much substance as far as a plot is concerned , not a love story -just a raunchy, crude performance by Eddie Murphy but hilarious nonetheless and funny is actually and understatement.

A Disaster of the Highest Order
Viewers must be starved for comedy to endure Eddie Murphy's wretched tour-de-farce. Makeup wizard Rick Baker is the real star of "Norbit" - allowing Murphy to portray a variety of characters with diminishing results. After his standout performance in "Dreamgirls," it's appalling that Murphy (who co-wrote this fiasco) would squander his talents in such a grotesque fashion. Furthermore, he doesn't need elaborate makeup to showcase his versatility. Skip this comic nightmare and revisit Murphy's brilliant work on "Saturday Night Live."

Much funnier than I thought it would be
Okay, this isn't a high-brow movie, but it still made me laugh until I was bent over in pain. Eddie Murphy is a talented and experienced actor in playing several roles in a single movie, as evidenced in his work during The Nutty Professor and The Klumps. Norbit opens up some new avenues for Murphy, and he rises to the challenge professionally and with a humor that will take you by surprise.

Norbit was left on the doorstep of Mr. Wong's restaurant and orphanage. Raised by Mr. Wong, his closest friend in the orphanage is Kate. They were so close they held a mock wedding ceremony under a tree, but then Kate is adopted and Norbit is left alone. During school, while being picked on by bullies, Norbit meets Rasputia ("Do you have a girlfriend? No? Well now you do!) Rasputia has three thug brothers also, a close family that Norbit has never experienced. When he grows up, Norbit marries Rasputia.

There's no mistaking who wears the pants in that little family, Rasputia walks all over the timid Norbit. Then Kate returns to town with fiancé Deion Hughes. Determined to purchase the old orphanage from the aging Mr. Wong. With Rasputia running his life and cheating on him, all of Norbit's attention is on the beautiful Kate. But with Norbit married and Kate engaged, can it ever work out between the two of them?

Eddie Murphy plays three characters in this film: Norbit, Rasputia, and Mr. Wong. The FX is fantastic, Rasputia's fat looks REAL, the bodywork they did for the character is fantastic. You can hardly recognize Murphy as Mr. Wong. Even Norbit is a stretch for a Murphy character, with a very timid look and feel to him. Thandie Newton as Kate and Cuba Gooding Jr. as Deion are fantastic. Another kudo to character actor Eddie Griffin as the pimp named Pope Sweet Jesus.

This movie is crude humor, so if you're not into crude you may not like it. Special scenes would be Norbit's wedding night to Rasputia, Mr. Wong's speech at the wedding, Rasputia getting into the car and honking the horn with her big chest as she tries to adjust the seat, and the entire water park scene. If you want a ridiculous movie that will make you laugh out loud, then check out Norbit and leave your pride and pompousness behind the door. Worth a purchase. Enjoy!