If there’s no limit to your love of fat jokes, this is the movie for you. Brian Robbins creates what amounts to one fat joke stretched out for an hour and a half, with a sliver of a plot wrapped around it. Eddie Murphy stars as three characters, and with the help of veteran make-up artist Rick Baker he disappears into each one. The bad news is that only the good-natured title orphan trapped in a miserable marriage isn’t a stereotype. Rasputia, Norbit’s wife, is the walking fat joke — she seems incapable of making it down the street without breaking tables and knocking over mailmen. And Norbit’s father figure, Mr. Wong, is a lisping, kung fu–savvy Confucius. Characters not played by Eddie Murphy include Kate, his true love (Thandie Newton, looking lost), and a couple of good-hearted pimps, stereotypes only Hollywood could love.
