Eddie Murphy stands by “Norbit,” his infamous 2007 comedy that many have suspected cost him the best supporting actor Oscar for “Dreamgirls” at the 79th Academy Awards. Murphy portrayed multiple roles in “Norbit,” including the title character’s overweight wife Rasputia. The comedy opened in theaters Feb. 9, 2007 amid the comedian’s rave reviews for “Dreamgirls,” in which he played the charismatic soul singer James (Jimmy) “Thunder” Early.
As the story goes, Murphy received his Oscar nomination for “Dreamgirls” just over a week before “Norbit” opened in theaters. He had emerged as the season’s supporting actor frontrunner after winning prizes from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors’ Guild Awards. Then “Norbit” opened to abysmal reviews from critics. Alan Arkin ended up winning the Oscar for best supporting actor for “Little Miss Sunshine.” The industry was quick to blame the “Norbit effect” for why Murphy lost the Oscar.
During a recent video interview for Complex’s “360 With Speedy Morman” series, Murphy pushed back when the host cited “Norbit” as one of the comedian’s worst movies. Murphy was quick to name “Pluto Nash” and “Holy Man” instead.
“I love ‘Norbit,’” Murphy said. “‘Norbit’ 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.’”
“I like ‘Norbit.’ To this day, I like ‘Norbit.’ There’s stuff in ‘Norbit’ that makes me laugh,” Murphy added.
“Norbit” was also named worst picture at the 2007 Razzie Awards. The “worst of actor of the decade” prize was awarded to Murphy at the 2010 Razzie ceremony, after which Murphy vowed to stop starring in “shitty movies.” Murphy’s rebound with 2019’s “Dolemite Is My Name” led the Razzie Awards to give him a corrective prize, courtesy of the Razzie Redeemer Award.
Watch Murphy’s full Complex interview in the video below.