A ‘Norbit’ Reappraisal is Needed

"It probably isn't possible for a single movie to reverse all social progress made since the civil-rights era, but Norbit, the latest broadside from Eddie Murphy, does its best to turn back the clock” and “hideously offensive black stereotypes are merely the tip of the iceberg.”

– Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club

Does “Norbit” mock stereotypes and/or enhance them? That’s the mindset by which many critics wrote their reviews of the critically-maligned Eddie Murphy movie back in 2007. Almost all of them generally agreeing that the comedy was racially insensitive. Playing the three lead roles—as the shy title character; Rasputia, the monstrous, obese jiggy mama he marries; and Mr. Wong, the owner of the Chinese restaurant-slash-orphanage where he was raised—Murphy was clearly channeling his inner Jerry Lewis here, which isn’t surprising since the comedian remade Lewis’ 1962 film, “The Nutty Professor” into a major ’90s blockbuster hit. Rasputia, an intensely grotesque creation, the villain of the piece, is the kind of character Lewis would have probably loved — her physical demeanor very much part of the slapstick giggles Murphy is going for here. There’s almost-balletic poetry that comes with every step or facial gesture that Rasputia emits on-screen.

Rasputia also displays disturbing conduct that veers close to very non-mainstream stylings. The abusive behavior towards Norbit is one thing, but the maltreatment of her husband goes beyond the norms of conduct — she cheats on him, beats him up, and, really, does everything in her power to make his life a living hell. One can envision Murphy creating Rasputia for the opportunity to camp it up while in drag, but it’s the primordial nastiness that Murphy brings to Rasputia that seems to have rubbed people the wrong way. I thought it was a savagely comic portrayal of a woman, the wife-from-hell, hellbent in getting whatever she wants via her distorted and profane morals.

Director, Brian Robbins, doesn’t do much here but sits back and lets Murphy rip into his characters. Mr Wong, with Murphy as “yellowface,” should have been the more controversial character, but unlike, say, Mickey Rooney in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” Wong is a silly man who means well and can be seen as shy Norbit’s lone father figure and the person who will help him defeat villainous Rasputia. It’s a heartfelt character who would have just not been able to exist in today’s world of politically correct comedies. In fact, watching “Norbit” 14 years after its release feels cathartic and damn-near revolutionary. It makes you realize just how much artistic censorship has seeped into Hollywood since then. Critics can call it whatever they want to, but this peculiar 103-minute comedy, a slapstick tour-de-force, now feels like a miracle.