Fridae

This movie's cast list may as well read Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy, more Eddie Murphy and even more Eddie Murphy. Norbit, you see, is one of those unfortunate movies where an actor's ego is allowed to run the whole project.

Eddie Murphy plays Norbit, a skinny, nerdy, hen-pecked husband who is constantly bullied by his spectacularly fat wife (Eddie Murphy in a fat suit). She is so fat that her layers and layers of flab look like they are about to explode and erupt lava at anytime. Norbit lives in complete fear of this Godzilla-sized woman, so when his beautiful childhood sweetheart (played by Thandie Newton and not, thank God, Eddie Murphy) re-enters his life, he must find a way to leave his wife to be with her.

Eddie is an unquestionably talented actor. But he has become so rich, famous and powerful that even director Brian Robbins seems too afraid to direct him. Most of the time, the camera is placed right in front of Eddie so he can do his multiple roles (which also includes the foul-mouth Mr Wong) for as long and as indulgently as he wants to.

This is a lazy, crazy, hazy film where even the actors don't seem to know where they're going with their lines. Some gags work but most of them don't, and you get very, very sick of the movie very, very quickly.