'Big Momma's House' a rickety construction

June 2, 2000
Web posted at: 1:52 p.m. EDT (1752 GMT)

In this story: On the trail, in drag Some funny moments RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Reviewer Paul Clinton

"Big Momma's House" is everything you'd expect in a Martin Lawrence comedy. Within the first nine minutes you have your first toilet joke, followed immediately by a big-butt joke, and the yucks just keep on coming.

This is a Hollywood "high concept" picture of the worst kind. You can just hear the pitch session: "Hey, it's "Stakeout" (1987) meets "Mrs. Doubtfire." (1993).

Lawrence plays FBI Agent Malcolm Turner, and in a cold opening, before the initial credits roll, it's established that he's a master of disguise. His sidekick is John, played by Paul Giamatti.

The two are assigned to a stakeout. It seems a brutal bank robber named Lester, played by Terrence Howard (an actor whose talent has barely been tapped and who is totally wasted here), has escaped from prison. He's headed toward his ex-girlfriend's house, where the robber supposedly stashed the money from the bank job.

Said girlfriend, Sherry, portrayed by the lovely Nia Long, finds out Lester is on the lam. She grabs her son, (Jascha Washington), and heads for idyllic little Southern town where Big Momma (Ella Mitchell), her only relative, lives.

The FBI is one jump ahead of Sherry. The agency suspects she was an accomplice to the bank job, and Malcolm and John are in place across the street from Big Momma's house just waiting for Sherry to show up so they can set a trap for Lester.

Unaware that her granddaughter is on the way, Big Momma leaves on a mission to help a sick friend.

The stage is set!

Now Malcolm and John can work their magic. Faster then you can say "Robin Williams in drag," Malcolm transforms himself into Big Momma. This is accomplished with more than a little help from makeup artist Greg Cannom, who won an Academy Award for -- you guessed it -- "Mrs. Doubtfire."

Cannom has done a remarkable job, too. The prosthetics are amazing, and Lawrence actually looks like Mitchell, while sufficiently resembling himself so that viewers always know that's Lawrence mugging under all the makeup.

Back to the plot: Sherry, with kid in tow, arrives at her grandmother's house and accepts Malcolm as Big Momma. He, in turn, falls for the comely lady and starts trying to prove Sherry is innocent of helping her ex rob the bank.

The remainder of the film becomes a series of sketches. Big Momma beats the homeboys at basketball in one sketch. Then there's the sketch where Malcom in drag tries to cook dinner - the point being, naturally, that he doesn't know a saucepan from a salt shaker. But later in the film he cooks up a storm, with no explanation offered for the change in Big Momma's culinary skills.

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Wait, there's more. Big Momma goes fishing. She testifies at the Baptist church. She's in bed when Sherry, who's afraid of lightning, joins her under the sheets. The sketches go on and on. Some work; some don't.

Through it all Lawrence is running around, in and out of his Big Momma suit, trying to solve the crime and win the girl.

All the jokes in this film are painfully predictable and applied with a sledge hammer. The film's director, Raja Gosnell, made his directorial debut with the movie "Home Alone 3," and he uses the same catcher's-mitt touch this time around, too.

Screenwriter Darryl Quarles earned his stripes writing TV scripts for "The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air," "Amen" and other sitcoms, and his background shows in this film. In fact you may find yourself waiting for a commercial break. Sadly, it never comes.

Lawrence has a large fan base. His last two films, "Blue Streak" (1999) and "Life," (1999) made more than $60 million each. But "Blue Streak" was actually funny and "Life" co-starred Eddie Murphy. Neither applies to "Big Momma."

Rabid fans - you know who you are -- may keep this film afloat in the summer marketplace. The rest of us can wait for the video.

"Big Momma" opens nationwide on Friday, June 2, and is rated PG-13 with a running time of 107 minutes.

y: Cruising into long, loud summer movie season
May 2000
Review: 'Blue Streak' -- the yuk stops here
September 16, 1999
'Life' a hoot with Murphy and Lawrence around
April 19, 1999

Big Momma's House
Mr Showbiz Celebrities: Martin Lawrence Profile

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