It's Eddie Murphy as you love to see him in this gut-bustingly funny movie that displays his comedic genius in multiple roles! Murphy star as mild-mannered Norbit, who gets a second chance at love with his childhood sweetheart, Kate (Thandie Newton, The Pursuit of Happyness). But there's one huge obstacle: jealous, mean-tempered Rasputia (Murphy), you wants Norbit all to her sizeable self. Can Norbit win the heart of Kate. before Rasputia put the hurt on him? With an all-star cast including Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire), Marlon Wayans (White Chicks) and Eddie Griffin (Date Movie), Norbit will make you laugh `til you cheer!

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)