Eddie Murphy's Harmful Caricatures of Fat Black Women in Multiple Films

Poor Viola.

This thread is satire, right?

Unfortunately no R2. OP is a humorless lesbian. Always looking for something to be offended by.

Norbit could be classified as a "Misogynoir" and Thandie Newton agrees.

I'm starting to think Eddie Murphy is the black Robert Redford-- a handsome photogenic charming charismatic movie star with great BO who is hetro but despised women.

He's a comedian. Anything for a laugh even if it means making fun of fatties. He chose to be disgusting

For a long while, he was a comic genius and could do no wrong, then he could do no right and Hollywood dropped him like a hot potato.

Bad BO is the one unforgivable sin, but it's curious why he had such a string of stinkers after years of hits.

OP is Roxanne Gay.

Interesting theory, R9. I was just wondering what Roxanne Gay would say about Norbit. Has she reviewed it or The Clumps. May this thread should have been: "Let's be Roxanne Gay Critiquing the Clumps"

Me and Stone Philips in the Tobacco Barn! I remember lmao at that line, and I still do.

Norbit was hilarious!

When Rasputia goes to the water park and the kid at the entrance accuses her of not wearing a bikini bottom.

Fat black women? What about the fat black men? What about the fact black children?

I think he said he based those characters on women he actually knew. I don't think his mother in The Nutty Professor was portrayed badly at all. Fat Black women exist. I thought she and the grandmother were hilarious. Why isn't OP bitching about the portrayal of the male Klumps?

OP you reply to yourself a lot

Loved that dinner scene

[quote]I don't think his mother in The Nutty Professor was portrayed badly at all.

Me, neither.

She is portrayed as very loving and accepting of her family, regardless of size (especially Sherman).

OP, did your black cultural studies adjunct instructor at the strip mall community college tell you about the tedious futility of "unpacking" texts (books, TV, movies, fashion, etc) from the past using current solipsistic methods of criticism?

Still butthurt over the David Spade comment- 30 years later.

The mother in the Clumps is the one character in the two Nutty Professor films treated with a lot of thoughtfulness and tenderness.

I think this argument is bullshit.

And who is the audience that watches these films?

Black comedians love doing drag, particularly fat women. What gives?

[quote]Why isn't OP bitching about the portrayal of the male Klumps?

Or Tyler Perry and his Medea character? At least Murphy has range and is funny.

I love Mrs. Clump! She reminds me of my fat (white) grandmother-sweet and full of love. And Grandma is fucking hilarious.

I loved them too R24.

"When Rasputia goes to the water park and the kid at the entrance accuses her of not wearing a bikini bottom."

As long as we're on the subject.....

I’m not a black woman so can’t speak for them…but these movies are fucking hilarious.

Fat black women have been doing themselves in comedy as well. If you cannot laugh at yourself then give up.

Where's your vitriol against Martin Lawrence and his 'Big Momma' movies?

Isn’t this what Madea does too? It’s dumb to get so upset over it. It’s just not funny. Eddie Murphy is barely ever funny.

Since the world knows that one black woman in a grocery aisle is enough to block things all the way to the front door regardless of her size, the fat-hate from this dishonest trans chaser (and worse) does deserve a slap.

I am NOT fat.

Didn't he model these characters after women in his family? I thought the mother was a loving, gentle soul.

R19 I don't understand why he considers this racist:

[quote]The segment in question, from a December 1995 episode in which Spade did a year-in-review during “Hollywood Minute,” included a picture of Murphy on which Spade commented, “Look children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish.” Murphy told the Times the joke came after his film, “Vampire in Brooklyn,” had flopped at the box office.

He said that no white people at the time were ever made fun of because their careers tanked, but Shelley Long ("Cheers") and David Caruso ("NYPD Blue') both became fodder for comedians and late-night talk show hosts for ditching their successful TV shows for movie stardom and flopping badly.

And it wasn't just a one-time thing, like that SNL dig. Their respective failures became a running joke in the '80s and '90s.

I thought Norbit was the most hateful, mean spirited comedy he could have done. Maybe he learned his lesson because it's still rumored that people hated this movie so much that it cost him the Oscar.

Eddie Murphy was always going to lose that Oscar, with or without Norbit. He had a terrible reputation in Hollywood, Dreamgirls was considered a disappointment after failing to get a Best Picture nomination, and he was up against the beloved Alan Arkin in a movie that the Oscars adored. (Little Miss Sunshine was probably a second place that year behind The Departed).

Incidentally, DREAMGIRLS was the most nominated film that year (8 nods) but it failed to get in for Best Picture or Best Director.

The 2006 Best Picture nominees were:

THE DEPARTED -- 5 nods, including Best Picture and Best Director

BABEL -- 7 nods, including Best Picture and Best Director

LETTER FROM IWO JIMA -- 4 nods, including Best Picture and Best Director

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE -- 4 nods, including Best Picture (Best Director went to UNITED 93)

THE QUEEN -- 6 nods, including Best Picture and Best Director

Those movies are very funny – if you don’t find them funny you’re purposely trying to not do so.

I thought the poor man's Mrs. Doubtfire, Big Mama's Haus originated the fat black women as worthless human beings box office appeal.

His films are lazy that's why he bombed. Being fat as a punch line ain't funny. A thong hidden in fat is funny?

Why is this only offensive to fat Black women? What about the rest of The Ample Community?

If you prick us, do we not ooze?

Norbit was especially ridiculous because the fat lady had super-strength like the Hulk.

But Op he played fat black men too. What’s really appaling is Martin Lawrence because I don’t see how anyone with eyes and a brain could ever mistake that for a real woman. She was so fkin big and ugly lol. Eddie Murphy passed lol.

Don’t get started! Don’t even get me started!

Eddie is Murphy is talented as fuck yo. And the makeup people exceptional for Nutty Professor. You almost forget that is him playing all those characters. I used to think he was only playing professor klump and the dad and that the mom was a real bbw actress.

I think these movies are funny, especially all the ancillary characters. I also find Madea hilarious.

R37 Dreamgirls didn’t deserve a best picture nod. It was beautifully shot, with exceptional costumes and the singing top notch but the story is weak. None of the characters are really developed except maybe Effie because you can see how she became biter and upset. It doesn’t explain why it was ok for her not to reveal her pregnancy. It doesn’t explain how Deena transforms into sweet girl next door to empowered diva in the 2nd act.

R5: Eddie Murphy is bisexual, with a predilection for trannies (and, once upon a time, Johnny Gill).

Unpopular opinion. Eddie Murphy is a better actor than Will Smith.

[quote]If you prick us, do we not ooze?

Gravy?

Screw off OP. You’re only upset because you’re fat enough to be mistaken for a beached whale. Either get on ozempic or a treadmill.

[quote] OP is a humorless lesbian.

Is there any other kind?

r45 Teafake, yo

Why wouldn't the millions of caricatures of fat black (etc.) women already waddling off their electronic mountain movers, blocking store aisles, doing 911 three times a week, holding up fast-food lines with their orders and depleting inventories, all while stanking bad and calling themselves Goddess-Diva-Queen, not let one comedian and team join in by REP-RE-SENT-ING?

How many accounts do you have, teacake? R45?

Some say I’m the Eddie Murphy of DL.

Btw I bet you guys didn’t know that the creators of this site post here under SIGNED monikers.

Even if I don't care for his movies much, Eddie Murphy is a genius actor. They don't come like him often. Absolutely genius.

[quote]r56 = Some say I’m the Eddie Murphy of DL.

Only due to your predelection for trans hookers.

[quote] I bet you guys didn’t know that the creators of this site post here under SIGNED monikers.

Oh, who the actual fuck gives a shit?

You?

I think the downturn in his career began when he was caught with the trannie hooker in his car. Others here have mentioned he was not well liked in the industry. Be nice = Be employed.

What does Susan Dey have to say about all of this?

I never laughed so hard in my life when I saw these characters. Sue me or shoot me! I live in NYC and these are real people he was portraying.

R60 That was 30 years ago and Nutty Professor franchise, Dr. Doolittle, Dreamgirls have all come out since.