Eddie Murphy as Norbit: Cast and Plot Summary
Eddie Murphy plays multiple roles in the 2007 comedy film Norbit, including the title character Norbit Albert Rice and his abusive adoptive father Rasputia Latimore. The film follows Norbit, a timid man raised by a domineering woman, as he reunites with his childhood sweetheart Kate Thomas, played by Thandie Newton, and faces pressure from Rasputia and her brothers. Murphy also portrays Rasputia's three brothers, Latimore, in a physical transformation that required extensive makeup and prosthetics. The supporting cast includes Eddie Griffin as Norbit's best friend Pope, and the film features a predominantly Black ensemble that highlights community dynamics in a small-town setting. Forbes noted the film's reliance on Murphy's comedic range and physical comedy during its theatrical run.
Norbit was produced by DreamWorks Pictures and Tollin/Robbins Productions, with Brian Robbins and Todd Komarnicki serving as directors. The screenplay was written by Eddie Murphy, Charlie Murphy, and Jay Sherick, with story credits to David Ronn and Jay Scherick. Principal photography took place in California, with filming locations including a constructed small-town set designed to evoke a Southern American community. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures in the United States, with international distribution handled by United International Pictures in several territories. IMDb lists the production companies and full cast details for Norbit.
Box Office Performance and Financial Data
Norbit opened at number one at the U.S. box office in its opening weekend, earning approximately $34 million and outperforming competing releases during its first weekend of release. The film grossed over $154 million domestically and an additional $48 million internationally, for a worldwide total exceeding $200 million against a reported production budget of $60 million. The strong opening weekend was attributed to Eddie Murphy's star power and the film's family-friendly comedy positioning during the February holiday season. Box Office Mojo provides the detailed domestic and international gross figures for Norbit.
Despite its box office success, Norbit received mixed critical reception, with review aggregation sites reflecting a divide between audience and critic scores. The film's financial performance is often cited in discussions of Eddie Murphy's filmography during the mid-2000s, a period that also included the release of the animated film Shrek the Third and the comedy Norbit's directorial follow-ups. The Numbers tracks the production budget and box office return data for Norbit and other films from the same era.
Ratings, Reception, and Production Details
Norbit received a PG-13 rating from the MPA for crude and sexual content, language, and some comic violence. The film holds a specific audience score on major review aggregation platforms, with viewers rating the comedy and Murphy's performance positively while critics noted uneven pacing and reliance on slapstick humor. The makeup and prosthetics used to transform Murphy into Rasputia and the Latimore brothers were created by makeup artist Rick Baker, who won an Academy Award for his work on the film's character designs. Academy Awards lists the makeup category nominees and winners for the 80th Academy Awards ceremony, which honored films from 2