The film was nominated for Best Achievement in Makeup at the 80th Academy Awards, highlighting its technical excellence despite the polarized critical reception. Financial Performance and Critical Reception
[ Eddie Murphy Plays Three Roles ] / | \ [ Norbit Rice ] [ Rasputia Latimore ] [ Mr. Wong ] (The Protagonist) (The Antagonist) (The Orphanage Owner) Plot Summary
The movie revolves around Norbit Ryan (played by Eddie Murphy), a man who was severely bullied as a child due to his obesity. To cope with his difficult life, Norbit creates an alternate personality named Rasputia, a large, intimidating, and foul-mouthed woman. As an adult, Norbit meets and falls in love with a beautiful woman named Nora (played by Thandie Newton). They get married and start a happy life together.
Eddie Murphy, however, has a very different take. In numerous interviews over the years, he has fiercely and affectionately defended his comedy. In a 2025 interview, he named Norbit as a film he still loves, dismissing the idea that it was a mistake. “I love Norbit,” Murphy said. He pushed back against critics, claiming, “They was just hating on me”. He has repeatedly stated that he wrote the film with his brother Charlie and that they both think it is genuinely funny. When asked to name his worst movies, Murphy listed The Adventures of Pluto Nash and Holy Man – but never Norbit .
The story follows , a mild-mannered orphan raised by Mr. Wong (played by Murphy) in a combination Chinese restaurant and orphanage. Norbit is forced into a marriage with Rasputia Latimore (also played by Murphy), an overbearing, aggressive, and highly volatile woman. The central conflict unfolds when Norbit's childhood love, Kate Thomas (Thandiwe Newton), returns to town, prompting Norbit to attempt to escape his toxic marriage and outwit Rasputia’s scheming brothers. Box Office Success vs. Critical Backlash Norbit
: The mild-mannered, timid protagonist who has been bullied his entire life. Rasputia Latimore
To place Murphy's multiple characters in the same scenes, digital artists used techniques like "cloth deformation" and complex compositing to make interactions look natural. 3D Animation: The neighborhood dog, Lloyd (a pug played by Mushu from Men in Black
worldwide. Over time, it has developed a polarized reputation:
: It took roughly 3 hours to apply the makeup for Rasputia and 2.5 hours for the character Mr. Wong for every day of filming. 🏛️ Norbit Technical "Draft" (Company) The film was nominated for Best Achievement in
: In draft/test footage and complex scenes, Murphy used a stand-in whose face was later digitally replaced with his own using early CGI face-mapping.
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PIR is Norbit's electronics manufacturing services division. It combines engineering expertise with manufacturing capabilities to help clients take products from concept to industrial production.
The release of Norbit on February 9, 2007, created a remarkable spectacle. Critics unloaded a torrent of negative reviews. The film’s Rotten Tomatoes score, based on over 120 reviews, sat at a stunningly low 9%, with the critical consensus describing it as “full of anger, cruelty, mugging, unfunny slapstick, and old-fashioned racial stereotypes”. The Washington Post was particularly harsh, stating that “ Norbit feels artless and callow,” with a brand of political incorrectness that lacked the satirical edge of a film like Borat . To cope with his difficult life, Norbit creates
“It represents my inner turmoil,” she’d snap. “Now get to the diner. And don’t smile at any female customers. That’s emotional cheating.”
A with The Nutty Professor makeup techniques The box office trends of 2000s studio comedies
Ultimately, Norbit stands as a monument to Eddie Murphy's unparalleled chameleonic talent and willingness to commit entirely to a bit, wrapped in a film that remains as divisive today as it was in 2007.
The film opened in theaters just weeks before the 2007 Academy Awards ceremony. At that ceremony, Eddie Murphy was the overwhelming favorite to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his critically acclaimed, dramatic performance in Dreamgirls . The theory that went viral in entertainment circles was that the release of the crass, lowbrow Norbit so close to the Oscar vote reminded Academy members of the “old” Eddie Murphy, costing him the award. This theory, while never proven, has persisted for years and is a major part of the film’s lore.
For those who may need a refresher, "Norbit" tells the story of Norbit Wise (played by Eddie Murphy), a mild-mannered and awkward accountant who lives in the projects with his friends and adoptive family, Rasputia (played by Eddie Murphy), a brutish and overbearing woman, and her three children. Norbit's life is turned upside down when his childhood sweetheart, Nora (played by Thandie Newton), returns to town with her two children, and Norbit finds himself torn between his old flame and his current, albeit unhappy, marriage.