There may have been a time when we thought that Eddie Murphy dressing up in a fat suit was pure comedy gold. There may have been a time when Murphy playing several different characters in one movie impressed us.

But times have changed.

Norbit is without a doubt the worst movie of 2007 thus far. Granted, I haven't seen every movie released this year, but as long as Eddie Murphy isn't involved, consider it safe.

First, there's the plot. Norbit is an orphan who was raised in an orphanage by Mr. Wong. He meets Kate and they fall in love, but Kate is taken away. Norbit meets Rasputia, a bossy demon of a child who forces him to be her boyfriend.

If you have half a brain, you can figure out the ending of this movie within the first 15 minutes. In this movie, I'm not looking for an impressive plot. What makes a good comedy is interesting characters and good writing.

Unfortunately, Norbit had neither of these.

Let's start with Rasputia. She is despicable, one-dimensional and horribly unattractive. One might congratulate Eddie Murphy on his acting skills with this particular character. Obviously, if the audience hates her so much, then he did his job, right?

Wrong. We don't hate Rasputia because we love to hate her. We hate this character because Eddie Murphy and his crack team of writers didn't provide any development whatsoever. Her main purpose throughout the film is just to be an obstacle for Norbit and to provide humor through insipid slapstick. She didn't make me laugh. She gave me a headache.

Norbit is the polar opposite of Rasputia (big surprise) and a good protagonist for the film. But, as you may have guessed, his character lacks development.

The only semi-redeeming thing about this movie (and the only reason it isn't receiving an F) was Eddie Griffin and Katt Williams. They were onscreen for about a total of 20 minutes, but they provided the biggest laughs as pimps who try to help Norbit win over Kate.

You could be doing something more useful with your time, like beating yourself over the head repeatedly with a shovel. That's what watching this movie felt like for me. GRADE: D-

-- Reviewed by Rich Coleman