The Eddie Murphy-led Norbit, which was slammed by critics, finds a successful second chance on streaming 17 years later. Starring Murphy in several roles and Thandiwe Newton, the movie followed the titular mild-mannered man scheming to end up with his childhood sweetheart Kate (Newton) while being married to Rasputia. Originally released in 2007, Norbit opened to negative reviews from critics, receiving a dismal 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a muted response from audiences, but made a respectable $159 million against its $60 million budget and garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Makeup.
Now streaming on Prime Video, Norbit has found new life as it’s No. 7 on the streamer’s Top 10 list of movies in the US at the time of writing. Leading the list is the Mark Wahlberg-led sci-fi thriller Infinite and followed by the Spanish zombie thriller Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End at No. 2, Kate Beckinsale's Canary Black at No. 3, the documentary Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words at No. 4, Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin's Brothers at No. 5 and John Krasinski's IF at No. 6.
Coming in behind Murphy's comedy on the streamer's Top 10 movies is an interesting mix of genres. At No. 8 is a fellow comedy, the Adam Sandler-led remake of The Longest Yard, as well as the 2022 viral hit horror movie Terrifier 2 at No. 9 and Dev Patel's acclaimed action-thriller Monkey Man at No. 10.
What This Means For Norbit
Though 2007 proved to be a generally good year for movies, with everything from David Fincher's true-crime mystery thriller Zodiac to the Coen brothers' adaptation of No Country for Old Men and Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Murphy's Norbit was something of an odd outlier. Despite its modest critical success, the movie came amid his live-action struggles, save for the prior year's Dreamgirls, which netted him a Golden Globe win and broke away from the poorly reviewed Adventures of Pluto Nash, Daddy Day Care and The Haunted Mansion.
Its newfound success on Prime Video might be a sign that today’s demographic of streamers are craving comedies that are a bit more crass. A movie like Murphy's Norbit would probably have a bit of trouble getting made today because of its heavy reliance on stereotypes, but its No. 8 spot on the top ten list proves that there’s an audience for it.
Eddie Murphy has been one of the best comedic actors of his generation ever since he broke out in the 1980s, and he has an impressive list of credits.
That being said, the other possible reason for Norbit's newfound streaming success is Murphy's own recent resurgence in popularity with audiences. Having initially begun with his Golden Globe-nominated turn in Dolemite is My Name, the star recently found his biggest hit yet with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, the long-awaited fourth installment in the action-comedy franchise that quickly became a hit on Netflix. Between talks of a Beverly Hills Cop 5and his upcoming return in Shrek 5, it's understandable why some would be looking to Murphy's past.
Our Take On Norbit’s New Success
Norbit may be difficult to watch because of its stereotype-based comedy. Even Murphy in impeccable costume and makeup is barely enough to elicit a few laughs, if at all. When it was released, the critical reception of Norbit was so bad that it even garnered eight nominations for Razzie Awards, also known as The Golden Raspberry Awards, satirical awards that recognize the year’s worst movies, including Worst Picture.
The success of recent movies like The Whale, which performed admirably at the Oscars, including netting Brendan Fraser his first win, has made jokes about obesity in film harder to digest. However, Norbit’sNo. 7 spot on Prime Video proves that the appetite for such jokes and movies hasn’t disappeared completely, or that audiences are at least more forgiving of them when delivered by Murphy.
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