ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

Three Eddie Murphys is three too many in Norbit, a low-rent farce that sees this year's most unlikely Oscar nominee returning to the prosthetics-based pratfalls of his Nutty Professor days. With its casual racism, blatant misogyny and crass ethnic stereotypes, however, Brian Robbins' movie is more smutty than nutty - an ugly diatribe against grotesquely fat women that ends up being less of a showcase for its star's protean abilities than a slim excuse for him to indulge his worst excesses.

You can't fault the make-up that variously transforms Murphy into gormless orphan Norbit Rice, his Oriental guardian Mr Wong and Rasputia, the gargantuan harridan who becomes his wife. And you have to give him some credit for making the latter a fully fleshed-out character, as opposed to the caricature Martin Lawrence presented in his Big Momma's House comedies. Alas, there's a real malice in this parody of womanhood that leaves as bad a taste as Mr Wong's cooking. With his sallow skin and "rubbery" accent, meanwhile, the latter wouldn't look out of place on The Benny Hill Show.

"AN UGLY DIATRIBE"

Given that Eddie dominates every scene and frequently appears beside himself, you have to wonder what Thandie Newton and Cuba Gooding Jr were thinking when they signed up to play Norbit's love interest and love rival respectively. Did they honestly believe they'd be given a chance to shine? If so, they were almost as deluded as Murphy's brother Charles, whose reward for co-writing the script is a one-scene cameo... as a talking dog. Nuff said?

Norbit is released in UK cinemas on Friday 9th March 2007.