# Big Momma's House (2000)

### reviewed by
Frankie Paiva

    Big Momma’s House

    rated PG-13
    98 minutes
    20th Century Fox
    starring Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, Jascha Washington, and Paul Giamatti
    written by Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer
    directed by Raja Gosnell

    A Review by Frankie Paiva

Whether you see Big Momma’s House or watch Lawrence’s 1999 film Blue Streak, you will have seen the other movie. The two films contain the same lame comedy and rely on Lawrence's charm and energy to perk things up. While Streak was tolerable, House is rarely satisfactory. There are few genuine laughs from the script by Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer. The mostly juvenile humor found here belongs in an Adam Sandler movie.

Malcolm (Martin Lawrence) is an undercover cop, and a master of disguise. His latest case involves a man who robbed a bank. His bank teller girlfriend Shelly (Nia Long) may or may not have been in on it. When the man is released from prison, Shelly flees her home bringing her son Trent (Jascha Washington) along with her. She decides to visit her obese mother, known to most as Big Momma. Since Momma has left town, Malcolm sees an excellent opportunity. He disguises himself as Big Momma, hoping Shelly will eventually crack and tell him everything she knows, including her boyfriend's whereabouts. Several problems arise with this plan including Malcolm’s poor cooking ability, keeping the undercover project a secret, and delivering a baby. Further problems arise when Malcolm begins to fall in love with Shelly and the real Big Momma returns home. Anything that could possibly go wrong does. The script squeezes out any available laughs. No matter how hackneyed or cheap they may be.

There is plenty to giggle at in this movie for elementary school students. The movie contains everything your average 4th grader would laugh at. Overweight persons, feces, and flatulence are all present. A few chuckles escaped my lips, but most gags did not qualify for anything more than an amused smile. No matter how inane it gets, the humor is bearable. Big Momma’s House never fails at being (or trying to be) funny. The main problem is a dreadful story. After an outline of events, the script literally stops. There are sixty or so minutes in between where nothing feels fake or scripted. Lawrence's comic experiments fill this period of the movie. His energy is vital for navigating through a screenplay littered with every southern cliché you can think of (fried chicken, a spirited church ceremony, etc.) Implausibility is everywhere. Any person with the slightest intelligence would realize that Malcolm’s Big Momma is actually a man. Clues are present in lots of places, but the characters are clueless. Even worse than some of the humor and the implausibility is when Momma morphs into a romance in its final minutes. The film certainly does not work as one. It made me wonder why Hollywood does not turn scripts from nine and ten year-olds into movies. Most of these films would be of a much higher quality and have far more depth than this one.

Martin Lawrence exhibits a level of animation common in his movies. He just needs better material to work with. The beautiful Nia Long was surprisingly dull. She is stuck in what essentially is a one-man movie and does not do much. Other supporting performances are easily forgettable and seem restrained. The filmmakers were obviously trying to make this movie appeal to a young audience, as is apparent from Big Momma’s PG-13 rating. However, the film would be better suited as a loud, bawdy, and rude foulmouthed comedy. One can only hope that Nutty Professor II: The Klumps will be better.

There is nothing alive in this movie. The screenplay and acting both fall short, and the ending of the film is a horrendous and unbelievable happy conclusion. The premise gets very tiring and never reaches the guilty pleasure zone like Blue Streak did. Lawrence almost saves the lackluster humor, but achieves only modest success. This movie might appeal to kids or teens, but it did not delight or entertain me.

    D

    Frankie Paiva
    SwpStke@aol.com
    http://www.homestead.com/cinemaparadise/mainpage.html

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