BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE
Rated PG-13 - Running Time: 1:38 - Released 6/2/00
The latest in Martin Lawrence's bid to become Eddie Murphy can
be seen gracing silver screens this weekend, as the comic dons
foam rubber and makeup for Big Momma's House, a mediocre-at-best
comedy by editor turned director Raja Gosnell. Borrowing heavily
from The Nutty Professor and Mrs. Doubtfire (not
to mention, of course, the grand "mama" of them all,
Tootsie), this film serves up heapin' helpin's of fat jokes,
sex jokes, and scatological humor, wrapped around a thin plot
involving FBI agents trying to nab a bank robber.
The script by Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer has its cute moments,
and Lawrence occasionally rises to the energy level Murphy has
shown us in his several prosthetic-and-greasepaint vehicles, but
. . . how many times can you put a man in drag and have him fall
in love with a beautiful young woman? We all groaned when we saw
Dustin Hoffman try to kiss Jessica Lange while wearing a wig and
fake boobs. We laughed when Robin Williams, dressed as a sweet
old grandmother, was found standing up at the toilet by his babysit-ees.
And we howled when Eddie Murphy played all eight members of a
family making crude jokes at the dinner table. But really, is
there any new material here? Lawrence (who, by the way, co-produced
this film) isn't doing anything that hasn't been done before,
and he's certainly not doing it any better.
Lawrence is Malcolm, an FBI agent and disguise specialist,
who, along with his partner John (Paul Giamatti), is assigned
to a case in a small town in Georgia. After a bank robbery that
resulted in two murders, the killer (Terrence Howard) escaped
from prison, leaving his girlfriend and child behind. Although
Sherry (Nia Long) and her son Trent (Jascha Washington) seem innocent,
Malcolm believes she is going to meet the killer later and split
the dough. When he discovers that Sherry plans to visit her long-lost,
fat grandmother, and that the real grandmother has gone away for
a few weeks, Malcolm decides to go undercover as "Big Momma"
while John hides out in an abandoned house across the street recording
and videotaping everything. The trouble is, while Sherry and Trent
seem to fall for the trick, Malcolm discovers a fondness for them
that could undermine the case.
While Lawrence and Giamatti perform tons of schtick and man-in-drag
material recycled from the previously mentioned movies, it is
Long who makes this film watchable. Her chemistry with Lawrence
(when he's playing Malcolm as a man) is definitely warm, and,
since she's playing the straight-man character, her dramatic proficiency
is able to shine through all the slop. While "Big Momma"
is bouncing her big butt through church revivals, martial arts
classes, and basketball games (not to mention fending off the
advances of a dirty old man and the prying eyes of a nosy neighbor),
Long's Sherry is consistent and believable throughout, showing
the conflict that plagues her conscience. Of course, it doesn't
hurt that she looks fabulous.
There are many places one can go to get what is offered by Big Momma's House; most are on the discount rack at your local video store. But Long's performance is worth seeing, and I suppose even Martin's eye-rolling and caterwauling has its occasional charm. ***