Big Momma's House (2000) Reviews

• Not excellent, but often funny

  mattymatt4ever2001-07-31

  Martin Lawrence is often trusty in the world of comedy. Maybe I'm just overcoming his awful "Blue Streak," but I felt this comedy--though saggy at times--was quite funny. The premise is undoubtedly implausible. How's a whole neighborhood going to believe that this undercover cop with a latex body that looks somewhat like Big Momma is actually Big Momma? There's a lot of disbelief to suspend. But the gags often worked and I can say I laughed about 75 percent of the time. Some are predictable, like when Big Momma takes a karate class and starts beating the teacher--played by Anthony Anderson--to a pulp, but they still work due to the way they're handled. And Lawrence turns in yet another fine comic performance, with a script that could've used a rewrite but was nowhere near as bad as the crackerjack script he had to work with in "Blue Streak." The talented comic helps keep the movie togehter, with a little assistance from the supporting cast. Paul Giamatti, who was great as Pig Vomit in the acclaimed "Private Parts," is funny as Lawrence's partner. We also have "Me Myself and Irene's" Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer. The plot is chaotic, sometimes predictable, and becomes more and more implausible by the minute but the comedy works and because of that we're able to excuse the script's shortcomings. "Big Momma" doesn't deliver the biggest laughs, but it's good, fun entertainment on a lonely weekday afternoon. My score: 7 (out of 10)

• Funnier Than I Thought It Might Be

  ccthemovieman-12006-12-03

  This was a surprisingly good comedy, despite the predictability of it and the typically-sappy Hollywood ending. Nevertheless, this film has a bunch of laugh- out-loud scenes and jokes and Martin Lawrence is a likable guy. He has the ability to make us laugh just by making goofy faces. His best were when he was trapped in the bathroom behind the shower curtain when the real "Big Momma" (Ella Mitchell) was taking a dump a few feet away! The looks of Lawrence's face during that period were hilarious! Lawrence eventually dresses as a big fat woman and provides laughs doing so. Ever since the early days of television and Milton Berle, people have laughed at men dressing up imitating women. Pretending to be a 300-pound woman makes it even funnier. Throw in a pretty female lead (Nia Long) and a little drama to go along with the yuks and it winds up being a decent movie.

• Not Nearly As Bad As I Feared

  gbheron2002-12-07

  Why did I rent this movie? I don't really appreciate Martin Lawrence, not his old TV show nor his stand-up routine. But I did rent it nonetheless, fearing that I'd wasted my $2.99 after returning home. My fears were ungrounded. This movie is actually funny, hysterically so in a few scenes. Not to mislead the reader, I have to state that this movie is nothing great; it's actually just a trifle. Just suspend all belief as Lawrence portrays an FBI agent who dons a fat-suit in order to impersonate the 350-pound aunt of the lovely young suspect Lawrence and his partner are tailing. Of course, no one, not even the aunt's suitor, can tell the difference. If you can get by this absurd premise, "Big Momma's House" contains some really rib-tickling slapstick. When Lawrence, while impersonating Big Mama, is required to mid-wife a birth...that scene alone is worth the $2.99.

• Script merely serves as a vehicle for Big Momma's not-so-hilarious antics and escapades

  Beana-42000-07-05

  Think of a Mrs. Doubtfire meets the Nutty Professor hybrid, with a smattering of Kindergarten Cop thrown in for good measure, and you've pretty much got Big Momma's House. Except the former three are all reasonable films, and, unfortunately, Big Momma's House just isn't. When dangerous convict Howard Laster (Terrence Dashon) escapes from prison, undercover cop Malcolm (Martin Lawrence) is sent with fellow FBI agent John (Paul Giamatti) to track down Laster's ex-girlfriend Sherry (Nia Long), in the hope of luring the armed robber back in the direction of the slammer. This involves staking out the house of Sherry's Southern grandmother 'Big Momma', but when the latter leaves town Malcolm feels compelled to take on her guise, with the help of a few prosthetics and some extra padding. Things take a complicated turn, however, when Malcolm begins to fall for the beautiful, yet unknowing, Sherry. The film bounds along like an enthusiastic dog, with the script acting as little more than a vehicle for Big Momma's 'hilarious' antics and various escapades. The action often degenerates into uninspired gross-out comedy and toilet humour as Big Momma stumbles from one rib-tickling predicament to the next, with Malcolm often only being saved by the former's reputation as a lovable and outlandish character. Big Momma attends a self-defence class. Big Momma has nasty moments on the toilet. Big Momma plays basketball. And Big Momma delivers a baby. Cue many moments of roll-in-the-aisles hilarity. Or not. Unfortunately, convict Howard is soon forgotten as the film focuses almost solely on Lawrence, and seriously begins to grate as Big Momma's Southern screeches make up about 95% of the dialogue. The slowly developing romance between Malcolm and Sherry is also guaranteed to make audiences cringe with it's predictability. Lawrence and Giamatti make the best of a bad job, although the audience are left wondering exactly why they took on the roles in the first place, whilst Dashon is convincing as Evil Criminal on the Loose. Predictably, all characters are shockingly two-dimensional, but to be fair, Big Momma's House does at least generate some laughs along the way. It is difficult to see specifically who this film is aimed at, but there must be some attraction, judging by a high-grossing opening weekend in the States. However, non-existent plot and character development will ensure that many of the audience leave disappointed. Only to be seen by those who know what they're letting themselves in for.

• Big Momma's Funhouse

  sc80312008-08-28

  Martin Lawrence goes undercover in a suburb of Georgia as an overweight southern grandmother in "Big Momma's House". It's up there with "Black Knight" and "Blue Streak" as a ridiculous, predictable and stupid yet charmingly funny Martin Lawrence vehicle. Some of the dialog is almost non-sensical and seems to rely on Martin Lawrence's improvisational, uh... skills. Of course, why nobody recognizes that their friend/mother (Big Momma) is being impersonated horribly, I don't know. But that sort of adds to the movie I guess. The story here doesn't matter that much. Really, it doesn't. Paul Giamatti plays the signature goofy white partner, who occasionally gets pushed around by the neighborhood locals to much comedic success (it is actually pretty funny, if predictable, like everything else here). Nia Long reprises her typical role as the love interest, and then a bunch of goofy physical stunts are taken from "Mrs. Doubtfire" and given a slightly different flair -- playing on southern black stereotypes (deep fried home cooking, going to church, etc.). This movie is cheesy and ridiculous. I don't think you even need to watch the whole thing, nor watch it twice (though there is a sequel, and seeing that would basically be watching this movie twice). But for what it is, it's pretty goofy and entertaining. 4.5