Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Norbit Blu-ray Movie Review

Don't bloat your Blu-ray collection with 'Norbit.'

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 28, 2009

How you doin'?

Some movies seem to lack even a smidgen of a point. Norbit is such a film. It really has no reason at all to exist, save possibly to allow star Eddie Murphy (Meet Dave) to dress up in another fat suit. This is at least the third time he's donned the 5XL bodysuit, with only the first, The Nutty Professor, serving as better-than-average entertainment. Murphy has become a caricature of sorts, even if the majority of his films really don't see the comedian donning bodysuits or playing multiple roles. Nevertheless, the name "Eddie Murphy" nowadays instantly brings to mind grossly exaggerated physical and verbal performances that flop more often than not. Long gone are the smooth, slick days of Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hrs., and Trading Places, replaced by a shell of a once-brilliant talent that shows only glimpses of his comedic genius. Norbit may represent the very bottom of the barrel of Murphy's career. Thankfully for him and his fans, there is nowhere to go but up after this outing.

Where's the one ton dually when you need it?

Norbit (Murphy) grew up at a Chinese restaurant-themed orphanage under the care of Mr. Wong (Murphy). He spent his formative years at the side of fellow orphan Kate, and the two spent so much time together they decided to take matters into their own hands and tie the knot under an old tree, sealing the deal with candy rings and a kiss. Two weeks later, Kate was gone to a good home and poor Norbit remained. Later, the large-and-in-charge Rasputia rescues the diminutive Norbit from a pair of bullies and declares herself his girlfriend. Years later, Norbit and Rasputia (Murphy) are all grown up, the latter a little more "grown" than the former, and the pair tie the knot with Mr. Wong serving as best man. Rasputia is her own woman, unashamed of her size, and Norbit returns home one day to find her in bed with another man. A depressed Norbit returns to the orphanage to perform volunteer work when in walks Kate (Thandie Newton, W.), instantly revitalizing Norbit -- until he learns she is engaged to Deion (Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jerry Maguire), a man helping her buy the orphanage from Mr. Wong. Norbit continues to spend time with Kate anyway, rekindling his feelings for her and dreaming of leaving the domineering Rasputia for good. When Norbit discovers Deion may be up to no good, he takes it upon himself to save Kate from a potential trickster -- and himself from a bad marriage.

Make no mistake, Norbit has its moments, as few and far between as they may be. Murphy does well enough as the film's title character, and with a little work and a far better script (or even just in another movie) the "Norbit" character may have been a good one. His shy, non-confrontational, do-well attitude, combined with his stick-thin appearance and extra-large glasses makes for an interesting, if not slightly generic, character, but it is clear the character was designed solely to play opposite of his larger-than-life wife, Rasputia. Rasputia is the film's biggest fault; the character is stale and dull, stereotyped and done to death in other films like Big Mamma's House and the aforementioned The Nutty Professor, both of which, ironically, feature a man portraying a large woman. She's got attitude, a potty mouth, and dresses far too flashy for someone of her stature. It's meant to be funny, and a few scenes are (particularly those featuring her dealing with getting into a compact automobile and fighting with her neighbor's yappy and annoying dog), but it would have worked far better if the character displayed even a hint of originality. The remainder of the characters also lack distinctiveness, including the charming, attractive, and "normal" Kate, the shifty Deion, and Rasputia's three hulking brothers.

There are several instances where Norbit tries to be very sweet and meaningful, particularly at the beginning featuring Norbit's life at the orphanage. These scenes do work nicely, and represent the best part of the film. The re-kindling of the Norbit-Kate relationship is also handled well enough throughout the movie, and just when it starts to get interesting, touching, and even borderline "good," in comes the bad comedy and Rasputia to ruin it. Of course, the film needs an antagonist, but it comes with a steep price and serves as a hindrance to what good there actually is to be seen in the film. Still, audiences will leave the film wondering why they even bothered. It's barely better than a made-for-television flop, with generic direction and a dime store plot. Not everything can be Becket, nor should it be, but Norbit definitely treads on dangerous ground, flirting with disaster and the fate of being remembered on the same level as The Love Guru and Meet the Spartans.

Norbit Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

DreamWorks squeezes Norbit onto Blu-ray with a decent but ultimately underwhelming 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. Colors are seen aplenty, and they look nice, but aren't quite as robust as one might expect, clearly lacking in vibrancy. The entire image looks just the slightest bit hazy at best and downright foggy in a few scenes, though such seems to be the intended look of the film. It's often overblown with high contrast that gives it a warm and slightly unnatural appearance. Detail is appreciably high across the board. Clothing reveals most every stitch, and building façades or tree trunks showcase fine textures. There is a noticeable amount of grain over much the image. Blacks and flesh tones are generally solid. Norbit is bright and colorful, but that doesn't really translate to a show-stopping transfer on Blu-ray.

Norbit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

DreamWorks presents Norbit on Blu-ray with a bland Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The audio presentation is terribly average, with little to become excited about. The wedding reception scene near the beginning of the film is incredibly weak, sonically; Mr. Wong's toast may as well have been recorded in a can. It's hollow and uninteresting, and one can barely tell it's being amplified through a microphone. Ambient noise at the wedding -- laughter, for example -- is completely front heavy and barely has room to breathe. The track opens up slightly here and there, but the mix rarely strays from the center channel. Even the score and popular music tunes seem mostly focused in the center channel. The track only enjoys a few scattered surround effects and bass, both experienced mostly during the water park sequence. Dialogue reproduction is fine, clear and intelligible in every scene, easily the highlight of the mix. Norbit offers listeners a terribly uninteresting soundtrack.

Norbit Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Norbit leaves precious few supplements for viewers to devour. The Making of 'Norbit' (1080p, 21:33) looks at the development of the film, the inspiration for it, the cast, the characters they portray, the special effects, and make-up. Man of 1,000 Faces (480p, 4:04) looks at the extensive work of make-up artist Rick Baker. Power Tap (1080p, 4:50) is a mock-informercial for the "Power Tap" routine as seen in the film. The Stunts of 'Norbit' (1080p, 11:51) takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the stunt work seen in the film. This supplemental package is concluded by a series of 14 deleted scenes (1080p, 8:29), a photo gallery, and the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 1:56).

Norbit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One look at the box tells potential viewers all they need to know about Norbit. It's really no deeper than the image of a large woman suffocating a skinny man. There is a minimalist, generic plot; forgettable and heavily stereotyped characters; a bland script; and boring direction. It definitely has a few moments that work, and it is thanks to those that the film avoids the worst possible rating, but other than a few decent scenes here and there, Norbit is completely forgettable, much like the Blu-ray disc it finds itself on. DreamWorks presents Norbit with a decent video transfer, a bland Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, and a few throwaway supplements. Pass.