Comic Actor Eddie Murphy Garners Multiple Razzie Nominations

I saw "Norbit" not long after its early 2007 release and though I'd seen previews in mid-2006, I knew Murphy was not going to play one of his womanizing characters (given his recent reports in relationship department, it makes one wonder how much acting was involved). The movie seemed like a nice enough diversion, though not mind-blowing or earth-shattering.

While I was aware of his attempt to again play different characters (Who could EVER forget Little Richard Simmons from his SNL days?) and along with it was Southern-fried stereotypical overweight Black person fat suit - most utilized in his remake of the Jerry Lewis classic "The Nutty Professor". It was both literally and figuratively dead weight on a premise that could have been really funny. I tried to not keep that etched in my brain but it was between that and the fact that the set designer did a poor job of disguising L.A.'s Universal Studios where the majority of the film was shot.

While some scenes by Murphy (as well as a few carried by Eddie Griffin) were funny, nothing was laugh-out-loud-and-hard-until-your-ears-burn-funny. Too many comics/comic actors (one of which would be Marlon Wayans, another 2007 Razzie nominee), or just the fact that the comedic timing was rushed? Other things I found distracting were the inconsistencies in Rasputia's body shape. (You can call me a typical girl on this one for checking another woman out but on an HBO special, it was revealed that both a male stunt double as well as a 300+ pound woman were used in various scenes as Norbitt's morbidly obese wife).

If you are over 25, you know Eddie Murphy can rebound from any bad career spell (Golden Child, Best Defense...or his singing career?). So if any humor missed in this movie can be found in all the Golden Raspberry nominations, where he's got Worst Supporting Actor/Actress, Screenplay and too many others to name.