DreamWorks Pictures
In this week’s installment of “What people choose to watch on streamers will never make sense,” the aughts comedy “Norbit” is somehow one of the most-watched movies on Amazon’s Prime Video. This exceedingly random news comes courtesy of viewership data site FlixPatrol, which as of publication time has the widely panned Eddie Murphy vehicle hovering at number five on its list of the 10 most-watched Prime Video movies in North America. Sure, why not?
To be fair to “Norbit,” subscribers seem to be having an odd week in general, with Adam Sandler’s “The Longest Yard” also making the list and two Christmas films, “Almost Christmas” and “The Holiday,” already entering Prime Video’s upper echelons. Still, it’s remarkable to see that more people are reportedly watching “Norbit” than are watching newer Prime Video originals, like the Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin-led action comedy “Brothers” (currently number seven on the streaming list) and the uniquely format-blending documentary “Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Own Words” (now in the 10th slot). The logic here is pretty obvious though: people really like Eddie Murphy comedies, even when they’re almost universally considered among the worst of his career.
Norbit is an aughts comedy in the worst way
DreamWorks Pictures
To explain “Norbit” to anyone who hasn’t seen it, we’ll have to flash back to an especially strange time in the American comedy landscape: 2007. It was a time when the funniest possible thing you could do is quote McLovin from “Superbad” or Michael Scott from “The Office.” The humor being presented was an uneasy mix between the broad and grating and the quirky and empathetic, with the latter represented by aesthetically “indie” movies like “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Juno.” Many, many things that are considered insensitive today were still being played for laughs 17 years ago, even as some artists and viewers were clearly trying to push back against a decade personified by (admittedly very funny) Will Farrell movies and Seth MacFarlane-style humor.
And then there was “Norbit.” An Eddie Murphy movie that was absolutely trashed upon its initial release, the film stars the stand-up comedian and “Saturday Night Live” alum in three distinct roles. He plays the nerdy title character, but he also embodies Norbit’s wife Rasputia, an overweight woman whose size is played for laughs along with her over-the-top control of her meek husband. For no real reason, Murphy also plays a man named Mr. Wong, who is Chinese. Yellowface and fat suits are just the tip of the iceberg in this movie, which currently holds an abysmal 9% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Norbit may have partly inspired Murphy’s break from acting
DreamWorks Pictures
“‘Norbit’ is supposed to be a comedy with heart, but it makes the Farrelly brothers’ exercise in obesity and prosthetics, ‘Shallow Hal,’ look like ‘Schindler’s List,'” The Sydney Morning Herald’s George Palathingal wrote at the time. “Its painfully predictable jokes revolve around just about every lame stereotype in the book, from black American pimps to Italian and Chinese restaurateurs, but it makes a concerted effort to rile overweight black women.” The movie earned eight Razzie nominations and has been cited by many as Murphy’s worst film. “Norbit” was made all the weirder by the fact that it came out just a year after a high point in the actor’s filmography, Bill Condon’s “Dreamgirls,” for which he won a SAG award. In 2021, Murphy implied that “Norbit” may have been part of the reason he quit acting for a while, stating that getting Razzies for “sh***y movies” inspired him to take a break.
I have no idea why people are watching “Norbit” on Prime Video this week, but it could have something to do with the stacked supporting cast, which includes Terry Crews, Thandiwe Newton, Cuba Gooding Jr, and Kristen Schaal. If you do give into the algorithm and check out what may have been the worst movie of 2007, at least treat yourself to a palate cleanser afterwards. For what it’s worth, you can find one of Murphy’s best movies, “Dolemite is My Name,” on Netflix.