Norbit

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Norbit

Theatrical one-sheet poster for Norbit.
Directed by Brian Robbins
Produced by John Davis
Michael Tollin
Eddie Murphy
Written by Eddie Murphy (also story)
Charles Q. Murphy (also story)
Jay Scherick
David Ronn
Starring Eddie Murphy
Thandie Newton
Terry Crews
Clifton Powell
Lester "Rasta" Speight
Eddie Griffin
Katt Williams
Marlon Wayans
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Music by David Newman
Cinematography J. Clark Mathis
Editing by Ned Bastille
Distributed by DreamWorks
through:
Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) February 9, 2007 Flag of United States United States
March 9, 2007 Flag of European Union European Union
Running time 102 minutes
Country USA
Language English
Budget $65 million
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Norbit is a 2007 comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and starring its co-writer, Eddie Murphy, in three leading roles. Produced by Davis Entertainment and Tollin/Robbins Productions, the film also stars Thandie Newton, Terry Crews, Clifton Powell, Lester "Rasta" Speight, Eddie Griffin, Katt Williams, Marlon Wayans, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was released by Dreamworks Pictures through Paramount Pictures on February 9, 2007

Contents

[edit] Plot Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Norbit (Eddie Murphy) is a very friendly African-American male who tends to see the positive side of things, even in difficult circumstances. As a baby he was literally thrown out of a car, and abandoned, outside a Chinese restaurant, the Golden Wonton, in Boiler Springs, Tennessee. In the restaurant, owned by Mr. Wong (Eddie Murphy), and doubling as an orphanage, Norbit was raised. During elementary school, Norbit was saved from two bullies by a mean child, Rasputia (Eddie Murphy), who later became his girlfriend. As an adult, he marries the overweight Rasputia. She has three imposing older brothers, Big Black Jack (Terry Crews), Earl (Clifton Powell), and Blue (Lester "Rasta" Speight), who threaten Norbit that he should never do anything that makes Rasputia unhappy. However, Rasputia is a very unfriendly woman.

A dilemma occurs when Kate (Thandie Newton), Norbit's crush from childhood, returns to town, and Norbit catches Rasputia cheating with a "powertap" workout instructor (Marlon Wayans). Norbit meets Kate for lunch hoping to rekindle their childhood romance, but she introduces him to her fiancé Deion (Cuba Gooding, Jr.).

Meanwhile, Rasputia's brothers (who own and operate Lattimore Construction) want to purchase the Golden Wonton as the building is zoned as commercial and has a liquor license. Mr. Wong decides to sell the orphanage to Kate, so the Lattimore brothers enlist Kate's fiancé to get her to unknowingly sign the liquor license transfer by using Norbit. Kate finds out that Norbit had her sign this document and confronts him, and Norbit yells at her to leave him alone forever. What Kate does not realize is that Rasputia threatened to physically harm Kate if Norbit doesn't force her away. Kate agrees to marry her fiancé the next day, when Norbit receives a background check on Deion detailing his criminal past (and multiple wives and children). At the wedding Mr. Wong arranges with the help of some pimps a delay of the ceremony until Norbit, who was imprisoned at home by one of Rasputia's brothers, after escaping arrives at the church and convinces Kate that she should not marry Deion, who has ex-families who recognise him still their father, which confronts the Lattimore brothers. Kate is delighted to call off the marriage, and Norbit and Kate get married under the trees with Mr. Wong and the orphans attending.

In the end, Big Black Jack, Earl, and Blue move to Mexico and now have a job as servants at a nightclub. Rasputia also moves with them and has a job, too, of becoming a showgirl at the same nightclub and makes the "Chair Dance" parody of Flashdance, ending the movie.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Reception

While Eddie Murphy's performance received some acclaim from critics, reviews for the movie were overwhelmingly negative (it scored a 9% rating on RottenTomatoes.com). The movie opened to $34.2 million in the United States and was Murphy's 14th #1 box office opener.[1] Many industry insiders claimed Murphy did not receive the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Dreamgirls because of the release of Norbit. Murphy lost the award to Alan Arkin. Norbit has since grossed over USD$94 million.

[edit] Trivia

  • Eddie Murphy is acting as three different characters in this comedy. This is the sixth film in which he has played multiple roles; the others are Coming to America, Vampire in Brooklyn, The Nutty Professor, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, and Bowfinger.
  • This is also Eddie Murphy's second live-action film for DreamWorks, after Dreamgirls. Murphy is notable at DreamWorks for voicing Donkey in the Shrek series of animated films.
  • Rasputia's hair style changes in nearly every scene.
  • Charlie Murphy has a voice-over cameo in the film
  • Terry Crews, Clifton Powell and Katt Williams also appeared together on the 2002 film Friday After Next.
  • Throughout the entire film, Katt Williams' character wears a Dipset chain. He was recently inducted to Diplomat Records.
  • Raging Waters, the water park, does not exist in Tennessee but rather in Southern California.
  • A Wilhelm Scream can be heard when young Norbit and Kate are holding hands during the scary movie.
  • An AMC Pacer appears in the background of the scene inolving Buster.
  • As Noted on the Post Office sign and the sign at the carnival the movie takes place in the fictional Boiling Springs, Tennessee, 87168. ZIP codes beginning with 8 are all located on the west coast states, so the movie can not take place in Tennessee.
  • In the trailer for the film which are shown on the adverts in Britain the background music is "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel.
  • Was previously rated R but was edited to fit to a PG-13 rating[1]
  • In the movie, there is a scene where the neighbor's dog Lloyd is seen conversing with Norbit, where Norbit claims,"You can talk!" This is an apparent reference to Dr. Dolittle, a movie in which Murphy starred.
  • The song, Don't Cha by The Pussycat Dolls is featured two times in this movie. First, when Rasputia is singing along while driving in the car with Norbit,& second when she appears as a showgirl at the end.
  • The name Rasputia is obviously a female version of the name Rasputin, belonging to a Russian revolutionist often portrayed as a villain.

[edit] Goofs

  • When Norbit crashes his bicycle and gets up, there is a short brown blade of grass in his hair. The next shot the grass is missing, and then the next shot it is back in his hair again.
  • Altman Stage Lighting "Shakespeare" ellipsoidal spotlights were not available in the 1980s (as seen during Norbit's wedding).
  • Throughout the movie, many microphones can be seen coming down from above, in almost every scene.
  • When Norbit crashes his bicyle into a lake, his clothes are perfectly dry in the following scenes.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Hollywood Reporter Nicole Sperling, Feb 12, 2007

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../n/o/r/Norbit.html"
In other languages