Norbit debuts on DVD Tuesday. Eddie Murphy, hang your head in shame. This is the so-called comedy which cost you an Oscar.
Murphy was legitimately nominated best supporting actor for his role as a self-destructive horndog in Dreamgirls. He sang, he danced, he seduced, he acted, all wondrously.
But Norbit, the most stupid movie of 2007, was released smack in the middle of the Oscar campaign. The sight of Murphy in a gross female fat suit, playing a character who sex-bullies Murphy as a skinny male nerd, was repugnant.
No one can say for sure, because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences keeps voting confidential, but there is speculation that the Norbit spectacle cost Murphy late votes, which went to eventual winner Alan Arkin for playing the irascible grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine.
This scenario comes to mind again as Norbit arrives on DVD. In that spirit, I offer five other Eddie Murphy movies you should buy/rent/borrow on DVD before plunking down hard-earned cash on Norbit. This is how Murphy's career should be remembered, in chronological order:
48 Hrs. (1982): Murphy's film debut, after rising to stardom on Saturday Night Live, is a strong comedy-action thriller with Nick Nolte's as Murphy's perfect foil. No one ever sang in a prison cell quite like Eddie.
Eddie Murphy Delirious (1983): This classic concert film, shot for TV, only recently made its DVD debut. It reminds us how off-kilter funny he is, even in a red leather suit.
Beverly Hills Cop (1984): Detective Axel Foley gave Murphy his best young man's role. He was an abrasive but utterly charming ghetto-cop who ends up as a funny-fish out of water in Beverly Hills. The premise worked, although not as well in the two sequels, and Murphy carved out his niche as a legit movie star.
Shrek (2001): When he retires, Murphy might sit in the rocker reminiscing with his grandkids about his most famous, most popular, most enduring role: As the voice of Donkey in the Shrek series. Now up to Shrek the Third and set to go to Shrek 5, the first two in the series are available on DVD, along with the fun short, Shrek 4-D (a.k.a Shrek 3-D in some stores), which came with 3-D glasses.
Dreamgirls (2006): While the movie remains a bit of a disappointment -- because we all expected a flat-out classic after watching 20 rapturous minutes in an excerpt at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival -- it is still good entertainment. Especially if you like Motown music and you are intrigued by the thinly disguised story of the rise and fall of Diana Ross and the Supremes. Like I said earlier, Murphy is terrific in it. Norbit be gone, pleaaase!
