Story

Themes

Orphans; domestic violence; obesity

Violence

Most of the violence in this film is intended to be comic but several scenes depict  more realistic and disturbing violence, including several scenes of domestic violence. Examples include:

• A baby wrapped in a blanket is thrown from a speeding car to bounce along the road, and left unattended for several hours during which time it is sniffed at by coyotes.
• A young Norbit is playing with a duck under a table when the duck is snatched from him, beheaded (not shown) and the severed head tossed back to Norbit.
• Mr. Wong makes his orphans hold a wooden whale, which he harpoons with a whaling spear. The spear goes through the wooden whale, scaring the children who run away screaming.
• Two young boys attack a young Norbit, smashing his sandcastle, pushing him to the ground and punching him in the face and body. The two boys are then attacked by a young Rasputia who lifts the two boys off the ground knocks their heads together and then throws them to the ground.
• A young Norbit is knocked off of his feet and sent flying through the air when he is hit by a playground swing.
• In an effort to extort money, Rasputia’s three brothers physically intimidate shop owners hitting them with clubs, pushing one shop owner’s head into a pot of bolognese sauce.
• One of Rasputia’s bothers threatens to attack Norbit with razorblades and lemon juice.
• Rasputia slaps Norbit hard across the face.
• Rasputia knocks over a mailman sending him flying and he is later seen wearing a neck-brace.
• Rasputia runs down a small dog with her car. The sound of a thump and a dog yelping is heard when the car collides with the dog. The audience is told that the dog is in hospital, and later the dog is seen with wheels attached to its hind quarters and both back legs bandaged.
• Rasputia’s brothers shoot a sideshow attendant with BB guns.
• After some children steal Rasputia’s hat she threatens “Give me that hat or I’ll tear your heads off”. Later Rasputia attacks the children on a jumping castle sending several of the children flying through the air to land on the ground. One girl is thrown hard against the castle’s wall and is knocked unconscious.
• Rasputia pushes a heavy speaker onto Norbit’s head knocking him unconscious and hospitalising him.
• While having a bikini wax, Rasputia kicks the attendant in the face, knocking her out.
• While recovering in hospital, Kate threatens Norbit in a joking manner with defibrillator paddles.
• Rasputia drives her sports car in a dangerous reckless manner eventually crashing it into other cars and becoming pinned against the steering wheel.
• Rasputia throws Norbit through a glass window and he ends up lying unconscious on the ground.
• When threatening Norbit with violence against Kate, Rasputia pours acid over a potato shaped in the image of Kate’s head and states “This is what will happen to the bitch.”
• While Norbit is riding his bike next to a car, Rasputia reaches out and grabs him, forcing him against the side of the car and pulling his head into the car.  He almost rides his bike into an oncoming car and is then forced off the road down the side of a hill and crashes into a pond.
• A man has his fingers slammed beneath the lid of an organ.
• One of Rasputia’s brothers punches a man in the face while in church.
• Rasputia fights two men using a shovel, one man defends himself with a pizza shovel, while a second defends himself with a prosthetic leg. Rasputia picks up an elderly woman spins her around in the air and then throws her through the air to land onto a pile of flowers.
• Mr. Wong hurls a whaling spear at Rasputia, impaling her in the buttock. After which Mr. Wong states “Right in the blow hole.”

Sexual references

Crude sexual references are made continuously throughout this movie. Jokes are made in relation to women, gay and lesbian relationships, car sex, condoms and prostitution. The number and level of sexual references in this movie make it unsuitable for children under 15.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

• At a wedding scene, a man drinks an unknown substance from a flask and other people drink champagne.
• In a restaurant Norbit and Kate drink wine together.
• Rasputia and Buster smoke cigarettes in bed.
• Two men smoke cigarettes.
• Kate and Norbit drink wine coolers together while dancing.
• Rasputia’s brothers discuss acquiring an alcohol licence.
• People are depicted consuming alcohol in a strip club.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

• Rasputia, wearing skimpy and fetish lingerie (cleavage, legs and abdomen are visible), jumps onto Norbit knocking him back on to the bed, which breaks under their weight.
• During a dance class Buster lies on the floor with a woman straddled across his chest and her crotch in his face.
• One scene contains a painting of a nude woman with spinning propellers attached to her nipples.
• Norbit comes home early and hears noises coming from his bedroom. He opens the door and finds Rasputia naked in bed with Buster. Both are covered to their shoulders with blankets. When Buster gets out of the bed we see his bare chest, buttocks and legs.
• Rasputia, wearing revealing clothing, dances on stage in a strip club and sits in a chair and pours water seductively over her body.
• While Norbit is lying in a hospital bed, Kate leans over him. Norbit looks down into Kate’s top, which makes his heart monitor increase.
• When Rasputia goes to a pool she wears a bikini, but it appears as though she is not wearing any bikini bottoms. Questioned by an attendant, she lifts a large roll of stomach fat to show her bikini bottoms.
• Rasputia gets into a bubble bath, showing her bare back and the side of one breast.
• Rasputia washes a car and presses her body parts against the glass. Wearing skimpy clothing and covered in soap suds, she simulates an exotic dance. The scene is an imitation of Paris Hilton's car-washing commercial.
• There are several images of women wearing swimsuits that reveal cleavage, bare abdomens, legs and backs.

Product placement

None

Coarse language

This movie contains continual mild coarse language, put-downs and racist comments.

Other material that may offend

• Norbit and Kate (aged 7) sit on a toilet next to each other with their pants around their ankles. The audience is told that they learned to ‘poo poo’ together.
• There are a couple of scenes depicting Rasputia passing loud flatulent gas.
• Mr Wong tells Norbit that when he was living in China he sold his two-year-old daughter for a yak.
• Rasputia’s brothers pass Mr Wong a piece of paper with an offer written on it to purchase the restaurant. Mr Wong replies that he will make a counter offer. He then picks up the paper, puts it down the back of his pants, as if using it to wipe his buttocks, and hands it back to Rasputia’s brothers.
• Mr Wong refers to a time when Norbit was bitten on the buttock by a snake. He says, ‘Bite Norbit on arse very close to hole’. Mr Wong then refers to how he considered sucking the poison out of Norbit’s buttocks.
• At one point Mr Wong refers to a Chinese snuff film.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Norbit contains predictable crude, sexist and racist humour, and disturbing comedic violence. The movie’s main message is about persevering through adversity and fighting back against those who dominate and oppress you in order to find true love and happiness. You might like to talk with your child about the negative stereotyping of African-Americans and overweight people, and the sexism and domestic violence shown in the film.