Eighteen years after Norbit hit cinemas, Eddie Murphy still isn’t shying away from his 2007 comedy — even if it’s long been blamed for one of the biggest “Oscar campaign killers” in Hollywood lore.
The comedian had been riding high on acclaim for his performance as soul singer James “Thunder” Early in Dreamgirls, winning a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and heading into the 79th Academy Awards as the clear favourite for best supporting actor. Then, just over a week after the Oscar nominations were announced, Norbit opened to a critical pummelling. Alan Arkin ultimately took home the Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine, and the so-called “Norbit effect” became an industry talking point.
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“Come on now, shit ain’t that bad”
During a recent appearance on Complex’s 360 With Speedy Morman, Murphy challenged the idea that Norbit cost him the Oscar and even took issue with it being ranked among his worst movies.
“I love Norbit,” Murphy said. “[The film] came out right after I got that Oscar nomination. There were articles like, ‘How can he get an Oscar, he did this?’ They’re two different movies. I wrote Norbit with my brother, Charlie [Murphy], and we think Norbit is funny. Here’s the thing with Norbit, it came out and they gave me a Razzie Awards for worst actress, worst actor and worst actor of the decade. And I was like, ‘Come on now, shit ain’t that bad.’”
Murphy doubled down, adding, “I like Norbit. To this day, I like Norbit. There’s stuff in Norbit that makes me laugh.”
From box office success to Razzie sweep
Norbit was directed by Brian Robbins, who also helmed Murphy comedies Meet Dave and A Thousand Words. The film saw Murphy in multiple roles, including the meek title character, his overbearing wife Rasputia, and Chinese orphanage owner Mr. Wong. Despite maintaining a dismal 9% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes — and a more forgiving 54% from audiences — the film topped the U.S. box office on opening weekend and went on to earn over USD$159 million worldwide (on a reported budget of $60 million). Its elaborate makeup work even scored an Oscar nomination.
At the 2010 Razzie Awards, Murphy was also named “worst actor of the decade,” after which he pledged to stop appearing in “shitty movies.” A career rebound with 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name earned him the Razzie Redeemer Award.
While Murphy didn’t win the Oscar in 2007, Dreamgirls co-star Jennifer Hudson did, taking home best supporting actress. The film also claimed the award for best sound mixing, further cementing its place in awards season history, with Norbit lingering as one of its stranger footnotes.
Here’s a look back at the trailer for Norbit:
And an Eddie Murphy scene from Dreamgirls:
