NORBIT

Story by Eddie Murphy and Charles Q. Murphy
Screenplay by Jay Scherick and David Ronn

Directed by Brian Robbins

Starring: Eddie Murphy
Featuring: Thandie Newton, Eddie Griffin, Terry Crews, Marlon Wayans and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Eddie Murphy is one of the most talented actors who has ever graced film. When given good material, as he was in DREAMGIRLS, he is excellent. When he is given horrendously bad material, as he was with NORBIT, he is still excellent. Unfortunately, the material makes it seem as though he is squandering his talent. He isn’t. He knows character and he knows how to play it.

What Murphy does lack is an ability to create and write a decent script. His remake of THE NUTTY PROFESSOR was quite delightful. The script stayed true to the characters and rarely ventured off into Murphy’s “potty land.” However, its sequel, THE KLUMPS: THE NUTTY PROFESSOR 2 reverted back to the coarse and characterless humor that ruined his first sequel to BEVERLY HILLS COP. NORBIT falls prey to that same angry coarseness.

I have heard many people dismiss Murphy’s work in films such as THE KLUMPS and NORBIT. They shouldn’t. Murphy pulls off one incredibly fine character after another. He always keeps it focused and connected, even when he is playing several people in a scene. Most actors find it difficult to keep one character consistent in a scene. Murphy’s enormous talent allows him to do this for several. People also want to dismiss Murphy’s work in these films as the “makeup” doing the work for him. Again, I disagree. Makeup makes it harder to create a character that is believable and funny. Murphy breathes incredible life into all these characters. They live and exist before your eyes.

But the material they are given is so lame that it is painful to see Murphy throw his ability away on it. Laughs come intermittently on the way Murphy’s characters act and react with each other. You see a whole character before you and forget that it’s Murphy. But the writing too often gives Murphy moments where the character’s actions go against what the character would do or sacrifices justification of an action for a cheap laugh.

For sheer acting ability and daring, Murphy should have won the Best Actor Oscar for THE KLUMPS. However, with such dismal material, most people won’t take the time to notice.

Let’s hope he finds another film with the quality of DREAMGIRLS soon so we can revel in his talent rather than pity the fine work that is being done in such badly written drivel.