Stream The Most Bizarre Comedy Of The 2000s Without Netflix

Norbit was written by Eddie and Charlie Murphy, alongside The Smurfs and Baywatch scribe Jay Scherick. The film was directed by Brian Robbins, who previously helmed such movies as Good Burger, The Perfect Score, and The Shaggy Dog, as well as episodes of TV shows like Kenan & Kel, All That, and Blue Mountain State.

While Eddie Murphy takes on several of the most prominent characters, including the eponymous protagonist, the cast is rounded out with performances from Thandiwe Newton, Terry Crews, Clifton Powell, Eddie Griffin, and the always hilarious Katt Williams.

The narrative of the film centers on a young man named Norbit, who has been all but forced into an unhappy marriage with an abusive, tyrannical, morbidly obese bully named Rasputia, who is also played by Eddie Murphy.

Having grown up together in a neighborhood orphanage which operated out of the back of a Chinese restaurant, Norbit has lived under the yoke of Rasputia’s abuse since the early days of his youth, with nobody by his side to stand up for him or support him.

One day, Norbit returns home from work earlier than expected, and discovers that his wife is cheating on him with her yoga instructor, which Rasputia attempts to hand-wave with gaslighting phrases like “it never happened.”

Dejected, Norbit seeks solace at a social event held at the orphanage, where he is reunited with his childhood friend Kate, who was adopted shortly before Rasputia arrived.

As the film continues, Norbit and Kate begin rekindling their friendship, and even experiencing feelings of romance for one another, as their respective partners plot behind their backs to ruin their lives and turn the once-beloved orphanage into a den of iniquity titled “Nipplopolis.”

Along the way, the audience is introduced to some of the most absurd characters ever committed to fiction, including a pair of reformed pimps-turned-preachers named Pope Sweet Jesus and Lord Have Mercy.

Though Norbit is not the first film in which Eddie Murphy portrays multiple characters, it is certainly the strangest-written movie I’ve ever seen.

Many critics have maligned the film for toying with blatantly racist and misogynistic caricatures, with the film taking home Hall of Shame accolades from both Alliance of Women Film Journalists and the Women Film Critics Circle Awards.

The positively foul critical response to the movie has even resulted in a staggering 9 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

You may think, based on Eddie Murphy’s scenery-chewing performance, that he really enjoyed slipping into the role of Rasputia in Norbit, but accounts from those on set seem to discredit that concept entirely.

In fact, Murphy’s co-stars have explained in interviews throughout the years that he was frequently late to set, refused to leave his trailer, and often arrived in a horrible mood, refusing to wear certain parts of his prosthetic body suit while filming.

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Murphy’s attitude on the set of Norbit even resulted in a permanent feud between himself and longtime collaborator Rick Baker. Some sources indicate that Murphy intended the film to have an even darker and more vulgar tone than it eventually received, which points to the production period as a very dark time in the actor’s life. For those interested in experiencing this off-the-walls movie personally, be sure to check out Norbit on Pluto TV today.