Big Momma's House
Short description
Malcolm Turner is an FBI agent with a talent for disguise, and his latest assignment takes him to a small town in the American South. A bank robber named Lester Vesco has escaped from prison, and the investigation leads Malcolm to Sherry Pierce, Vesco's former girlfriend, and her young son. Sherry is on her way to stay with her grandmother, a formidable Southern matriarch everyone calls Big Momma, but the older woman leaves town unexpectedly.
With the house standing empty, Malcolm takes on the identity of Big Momma herself, using elaborate makeup, padding and costumes to pass as the grandmother. Living under the same roof as Sherry and her son, he keeps up the deception while waiting for Vesco to make contact, a situation complicated by the growing feelings between Malcolm and Sherry. Martin Lawrence plays the dual role of Malcolm and Big Momma, with Nia Long as Sherry, Terrence Howard as Vesco, Paul Giamatti as Malcolm's colleague John and Anthony Anderson as Nolan.
Raja Gosnell directed the film, the third in his directing career after Home Alone 3 and Never Been Kissed, from a screenplay by Don Rhymer and Darryl Quarles. Made for about 30 million dollars, it earned roughly 174 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.3 from around 96,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.8 from some 2,500 votes, both below the critics' rating of 4.7 from 80 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- Martin Lawrence spent a significant part of the filming period encased in latex, but corresponding prosthetics were also required for Ella Mitchell. Her nose wasn't as large as Lawrence's, so it needed to be enlarged to create a greater resemblance between the two "women."
- The final scenes required Nia Long's character to be shot; however, since she was pregnant, they could only aim at her from the neck up.
- Nia Long was in negotiations to appear in the film 'Charlie's Angels,' but she chose to participate in this project after receiving a massive bouquet of roses with a note that read, 'With us, you'll be the only angel.'
- The idea for the name "Big Momma" came to screenwriter Darryl Quarles from memories of his childhood, when neighborhood kids used to call his own mother that.
- Nia Long was in negotiations to star in "Charlie's Angels" (McG, 2000), but chose to participate in this project when she received a huge bouquet of roses with a note saying, "With us, you will be the only angel."
- Filming, along with subsequent post-production, took only 5 months – a very short time for such a large-scale project.
- During filming in the summer, Martin Lawrence wore warm clothing while jogging; during one such run, he fell into a coma that lasted for three days. For scenes in which his character engaged in physically demanding activities, the actor's fattening suit featured a built-in cooling system.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
