More significantly, Norbit became a shorthand for cinematic offensiveness. In the years since, as conversations around body shaming, racial representation, and gendered stereotypes have evolved, the film has aged like milk left on a radiator. It is frequently cited in think pieces about “the last truly un-PC comedy.” It marks the end of an era where a major studio would hand $60 million to a star to play multiple offensive stereotypes, all in the service of a flimsy romantic plot.
The central tragedy of Norbit’s life arrives in the form of Rasputia Latimore (Eddie Murphy in a full-body fat suit and heavy prosthetics). As children, Norbit is forcibly adopted by the Latimore family after his orphanage closes. Rasputia, a gigantic, loud, and aggressively sexual bully, claims Norbit as her "boo-boo kitty" for life. Fast-forward to adulthood: Norbit is miserably married to Rasputia, who spends her days terrorizing the neighborhood, cheating at bingo, and sexually harassing her husband. Norbit works a dead-end job at her brothers’ construction company, while secretly longing for his childhood sweetheart, Kate Thomas (Thandie Newton), who has returned to town as a sophisticated environmental engineer.
This is the last great gasp of Eddie Murphy’s “man of a thousand faces” era, a direct lineage from his Nutty Professor films. The technical achievement is undeniable. The problem is that he used his genius to create monsters, not characters. Where Sherman Klump in The Nutty Professor had pathos and a gentle soul, Rasputia has only volume and menace. Norbit -2007-
The story follows Norbit, a timid man who has been bullied his entire life, most notably by his wife, Rasputia. Trapped in an abusive marriage, Norbit finds a second chance at happiness when his childhood sweetheart, Kate (Thandiwe Newton), returns to town to save the orphanage where they both grew up. To win her back, Norbit must finally find the courage to stand up to Rasputia and her three intimidating brothers, the Latimores. Eddie Murphy : Norbit, Rasputia, and Mr. Wong. Thandiwe Newton : Kate Thomas, Norbit's childhood crush. Terry Crews : Big Black Jack Latimore, Rasputia’s boisterous brother. Cuba Gooding Jr. : Deion Hughes, Kate’s deceptive fiancé. Eddie Griffin & Katt Williams
Directed by Brian Robbins (of Good Burger and Varsity Blues fame) and co-written by Murphy, Charlie Murphy, and Jay Scherick, is a wild, audacious, and often uncomfortable ride. But to dismiss it as merely "bad" is to ignore its bizarre genius. Let’s dive deep into the plot, the performances, the controversy, and the legacy of this unforgettable cinematic oddity. More significantly, Norbit became a shorthand for cinematic
The film follows , a mild-mannered, timid orphan raised by the eccentric Mr. Wong in an orphanage that doubles as a Chinese restaurant.
Second, there is Kate Thomas, Norbit’s childhood sweetheart who returns to town to purchase the orphanage from under the nose of the corrupt owner. Kate represents Norbit’s salvation, but she is engaged to a devious man named Deion (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who is conspiring with Rasputia’s three brothers to turn the orphanage into a strip club. The central tragedy of Norbit’s life arrives in
The film opens in 1957, with a newborn baby left on the steps of the Golden Wok restaurant, run by a kind-hearted Chinese man named Mr. Wong (Eddie Murphy in yet another role). The baby, named Norbit Albert Rice, grows up into a meek, henpecked, bespectacled accountant (also Eddie Murphy, in his "straight man" persona).
Flash forward to adulthood. Norbit (Murphy, in a subdued, soft-spoken performance) is a meek, downtrodden accountant trapped in a loveless, terrifying marriage to Rasputia (Murphy in a fat suit and heavy prosthetics). Rasputia is a monstrous force of nature: loud, sexually aggressive, physically abusive, and profoundly entitled. She and her three hulking, dim-witted brothers (also played by Murphy, in an astonishing feat of multi-role chutzpah) run the town of Boiling Springs, Tennessee, with an iron, spandex-clad fist.