Norbit

Norbit is a shy man who was abandoned as a baby and raised by Mr. Wong in a Chinese restaurant that doubled as an orphanage. As a boy he fell for Kate, but they were separated, and he ended up under the thumb of Rasputia, a domineering woman who claimed him as her boyfriend and later married him. Years on, he is stuck in a bleak marriage and squeezed by Rasputia's three intimidating brothers, who throw their weight around the area. Kate returns to town as a grown woman, prompting Norbit to look for a way out of his situation and a chance at the life he wanted.

Brian Robbins directed the film, which came between The Shaggy Dog and Meet Dave in his directing career. Eddie Murphy stars in multiple roles, playing Norbit, Rasputia and Mr. Wong, and he also wrote the screenplay with Charlie and David Ronn and produced with John Davis. Thandiwe Newton plays Kate, with Terry Crews, Clifton Powell, Lester Speight and Cuba Gooding Jr. among the cast.

Released in February 2007, the comedy cost about 10 million dollars and took roughly 160 million dollars worldwide, a wide return on its budget. Audiences were unenthusiastic: on IMDb it holds 4.3 out of 10 from about 88,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.7 out of 10 from around 2,700 votes. A critics' rating of 3.6 out of 10 from 121 reviews places it below even the modest audience scores.