By Zack Medicoff

Eddie Murphy flexes his comedic muscle to new proportions with NORBIT and easily champions his position as of one Hollywood’s finest funnymen. The movie, a slapstick romp where Murphy plays multiple-characters, is a departure from the Academy Award-nominated DREAMGIRLS, but not from the laugh-happy flicks of his 80s heyday.

Murphy, as the main protagonist, Norbit, is a shy, nerdish orphan who marries the wrong girl, a larger-than-life woman aptly named Rasputia (who he also plays). Murphy also portrays Mr. Wong, the Chinese food restaurateur/orphanage owner. It’s hard to imagine Murphy inside all of those bodysuits; he hones all the accents with total and utter finesse. 

The plot is a simple boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-needs-to-get-girl-back. But, it’s the actors who sprinkle the movie with laugh-till-you-drop glitter. The genius performances come from Terry Crews (Julius Rock on TV’s EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS) as Rasputia’s brother, Big Black Jack Latimore. Also to note is Eddie Griffin, who returns to the screen as a pimp – a niche he carved out in Rob Schneider’s DEUCE BIGOLO films.

Thandie Newton, who had small roles in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: II and THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS, plays Kate, who meets Norbit as a small child at the orphanage. But, before any puppy love could blossom, she’s snatched away by foster parents. She returns years later to purchase the orphanage, where the two shared fond memories, like going to the bathroom together and getting hitched under a large tree in the backyard.

Cuba Gooding Jr. might be eye candy for the ladies, but he doesn’t add much to the film. Though he plays a small part as Kate’s fiancé, he just doesn’t fit within the roster of comedic talent. On the other hand, there just isn’t enough screen time for Marlon Wayans, who perfectly performs a totally out-of-whack and uncoordinated tap dance teacher. And, if you just can't get enough of his nutty routines, check out the DVD extras for his infomercial. It's worth the rental just to experience his workout .

NORBIT is authentic Eddie Murphy, of the same caliber of his COMING TO AMERICA days. Even though his turn in DREAMGIRLS merited an Academy nod, it's a departure from this zany script, which Murphy turns into 90-minute gold. There were so many mediocre films in-between (i.e., the entire 90s), but NORBIT proves he still has what it takes.