Film

Norbit

Name: Norbit
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2007
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Thandiwe Newton, Terry Crews, Clifton Powell, Lester Speight

Comedy
Romantic comedy
Light-hearted

Norbit is a broad comedy centred on Eddie Murphy playing three characters: a meek man trapped in an arranged marriage to a loudmouthed bully, the woman herself, and an elderly Asian shopkeeper. It's shapeshifting slapstick with serious prosthetics, occasionally funny but mostly interested in volume over wit. For people who enjoy Murphy's willingness to be completely unselfconscious on screen.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you relish broad, heavily made-up physical comedy where one performer plays three roles and the gags lean on sheer commitment rather than subtlety.

Skip it if you find crude, fat-suit gags wearing thin quickly, since much of the humour rests on ridiculing weight and appearance.

What it asks of you: It runs about an hour and forty minutes and moves at a sitcom clip, staying loud and light throughout, with little space for quiet moments.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Nutty Professor1996

Eddie Murphy's definitive multi-character performance: playing a timid scientist and his grotesque alter-ego with real pathos underneath the fat-suit comedy. The formula that Norbit would attempt to refine.

But Relies heavily on the same broad physical humour and prosthetic body comedy that hasn't aged particularly well in either film.

Coming to America1988

Murphy at peak charm, playing a prince in disguise with genuine warmth and romantic comedy sensibility. Proof that he could carry a mainstream comedy with intelligence and style when the material supported him.

But The African stereotypes and comedic caricatures are dated and uncomfortable in places, even if the film's heart is fundamentally kind.

Trading Places1983

A comedy about identity and class with real bite, showcasing Murphy's ability to work alongside strong material and strong actors. Fast, clever, and genuinely rewatchable even now.

But It's much smarter and more restrained than Norbit—if you're looking for the same volume of noise, you'll be disappointed.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Norbit

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps2000

Both films embrace Eddie Murphy's shapeshifting gifts to create an entire world of loud, physically exaggerated characters rather than a single tragic figure.

Eddie Murphy expanding his multi-character act to an entire family of loud, larger-than-life people, leaning fully into absurdist chaos and genuine family comedy. A spiritual sibling to Norbit exploring the same formula at maximum volume.

But It's even broader and more juvenile than Norbit, with less story structure to hang the jokes on. Pure prosthetics and noise.

Mrs. Doubtfire1993

Robin Williams in drag playing a grandmother to spend time with his kids after divorce. Genre-adjacent to Norbit's multi-character premise but emotionally grounded and genuinely moving beneath the comedy.

But The emotional core means it's not purely a joke vehicle; if you want nothing but gags, the character drama might feel intrusive.

Madea's Family Reunion2006

Tyler Perry's Madea films operate in similar broad-comedy-with-heart territory, combining physical comedy, multiple characters, and surprisingly genuine emotional stakes. Huge with audiences who find Norbit's energy familiar.

But Perry's films are religiously inflected and sentimentally stacked; the tonal whiplash between comedy and preaching isn't for everyone.

Big Momma's House2000

Martin Lawrence in a fat suit playing an FBI agent's grandmother. Unapologetically in the same comedic neighbourhood as Norbit, with similar shapeshifting and physical humour applied to an action-comedy premise.

But It's also heavily reliant on prosthetics, caricature, and a sensibility that doesn't translate well to contemporary tastes in comedy.

The Beverly Hillbillies1993

Broad sitcom energy translated to film, with a massive cast and an anything-for-a-laugh approach. If you like comedies that commit fully to their own silliness without irony.

But The humour is entirely situational and character-based; there's no other dimension to it, which some find exhausting.

Shallow Hal2001

A comedy about appearance and prejudice with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black, sharing Norbit's obsession with body-based humour but attempting to have something to say about it underneath.

But The film's attempt at a message about inner beauty doesn't justify the constant body jokes; the contradiction becomes tiresome.

The Distinguished Gentleman1992

Eddie Murphy playing a con man in Washington, D.C. Less reliant on prosthetics than his other work, giving him space to do what he genuinely does best: charisma and fast talk.

But It's a lightweight political satire that doesn't earn its own cynicism, and it lands fewer jokes than Murphy's better vehicles.

Klute1971

Both films centre on a woman controlling a weaker partner through force of personality and social dominance, but Klute asks what that actually costs, treating it as tragedy rather than farce.

Jane Fonda in a dark, quiet thriller about a woman caught between two worlds and two kinds of men—one powerful and domineering, one kind and genuine. Serious cinema about the same essential trap that Norbit treats as a joke.

But It's bleak, slow, and completely humourless. The 1970s grain and pace will test your patience if you're used to broad comedy.

Singin' in the Rain1952

Gene Kelly's character is trapped by Lina Lamont's ambition and meanness in precisely the way Norbit is trapped by Rasputia, but resolved through elegance and joy rather than prosthetics and shouting.

Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor in a musical where a meek, talented man is under the thumb of a vicious, talentless woman who controls his career. The exact premise of Norbit played as elegant, joyous musical comedy from the golden age.

But It's a musical: if you don't want song and dance, or if you find Hollywood's 1950s aesthetic corny, it won't speak to you.