BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE

Easily compared to Eddie Murphy’s THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE carves its own niche despite a few similarities. Martin Lawrence (of BLUE STREAK) stars as Malcolm, an FBI agent who goes undercover as “Big Momma” to solve a case involving a bank robber named Lester (Terrence Howard of THE BEST MAN) and his girlfriend Sherry (BOILER ROOM’s Nia Long).

Sherry takes off for her “Big Momma’s” house after seeing her boyfriend, Lester, on the evening news. Knowing Lester’s involvement could put her and their son Trent (Jascha Washington of ENEMY OF THE STATE) in danger, she decides to leave for protection. Sherry tells Trent they are going on a “vacation,” but in the middle of the night, Sherry calls her “Big Momma” out of desperation.

Meanwhile, Malcolm and his partner John (Paul Giamatti of MAN ON THE MOON) are undercover across the street from Big Momma’s house. When Big Momma suddenly leaves to visit a friend at the hospital, Malcolm and John head for her house, searching for clues. While they are there, the phone rings and the answering machine picks up. The message is from Sherry, and Malcolm and John get excited about this turn in the case. However, when they hear Sherry saying that she won’t come by because Big Momma is not there, Malcolm picks up the phone and pretends to be Big Momma. He tells Sherry to come visit and hangs up, only to face a bewildered John. When John asks him what he plans to do, Malcolm says he is going undercover as Big Momma.

Working feverishly before Sherry’s arrival, Malcolm and John prepare a mask, body, wig, and more to turn Malcolm into Big Momma. The disguise works, and soon Big Momma (Malcolm) begins questioning Sherry about her life and the trouble she’s in because of Lester. As they grow closer, Big Momma also grows closer to Trent, helping him on the basketball court. One day, when Malcolm gets caught without his disguise, he tells Sherry that he is Big Momma’s handyman. Eventually, Malcolm becomes close with Sherry and is like a father to Trent. As they get to know one another, Malcolm soon realizes that Sherry is innocent and merely a tool that Lester used to accomplish his crimes. Trouble begins, however, when not only Lester shows up, but the real Big Momma returns. The chaos breaks loose, but eventually Malcolm and Sherry learn a lesson in telling the truth and discover their feelings for each other.

Despite some decent acting and a good plot, BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE was filled with some lewd content that detracts not only from these positive points, but also from the overall moral view of the movie. There were some comic, yet positive references to Jesus, however, that give the movie a preference over others in the same genre. The movie also has some redemptive elements in its story. Lawrence proves his talent in his portrayal of Big Momma, but shows a little too much “Martin Lawrence” as Malcolm. The supporting characters are relatively strong, giving the movie a broader spectrum of characters.

Containing plenty of foul language, rear female nudity and some briefly depicted violence, BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE carries a PG-13 rating with much content that many parents may find too objectionable for their teenagers and themselves. MOVIEGUIDE‚, therefore, advises extreme caution.