A Sample of Critical Reactions to Martin Lawrence's: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son

Eds. Note: In 2000, Martin Lawrence starred in the seminal black-man-in-a-fat-suit-portraying-a-black-woman comedy, Big Momma’s House. This was an exciting moment for cinema. Lawrence, long thought to be the clown, turned in a sensitive and nuanced performance as a man who, driven to insanity by a racist society, dons a fat suit and begins to believe he is an overweight woman named Big Momma.

The movie, adapted from the novel and subsequent Broadway play, Big Mammy’s House, tapped into a simple truth: Inside all of us is a fat black woman. Except for the fat black women. Inside them is a skinny black man. And fat. Wait, wait. There’s also fat inside the skinny black man. I mean, there’s fat inside us all. Even the fat white women and skinny Asian men. Anyway, Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son, the third installment in Martin Lawrence’s Big Momma franchise, features Lawrence returning to the role he originated in the Broadway play. This time, however, Lawrence’s character has a stepson who, driven mad by the same discriminatory forces that nearly consumed his father, slaps on a dress, a wig and pantyhose, believing he is a fat black woman. While its predecessors received near universal critical acclaim, this movie elicited a range of critical responses. Below, we take a survey of the reactions to this important entry into our national dialogue on race.

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“Never have I seen such a degrading portrayal of an African-American man!”

–Stepin Fetchit, actor and Chicago Defender columnist

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“This is a movie that seems to say, ‘What’s funnier than one fat black woman? Two fat black women!’ Lawrence has started a fat black woman arms race.”

—Roger Ebert, movie critic for the Chicago Sun-Times

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“So, I’m watching Big Mommas and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, two fat black women are much funnier than one fat black woman.’ In my next film, Madea’s Big Hogmaw, Chitlins and Watermelon Barbeque, I play four fat black women.”

—Tyler Perry, director

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“I didn’t think it could get lower than the second Big Momma’s House where Lawrence, in the guise of Big Momma, actually plays Mammy to a White family. Say what you will about me, but I’ve never sacrificed my dignity for a role. ”

—Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy, from the set of Norbit 2

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“                                                                    ”

—Clarence Thomas, United States Supreme Court Justice

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“That Big Momma sure is fine.”

—Uncle Ben, lovable rice spokesman

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“It seems that Martin Lawrence’s entire career, more or less, consists of him repeatedly making an ass of himself.”

—Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican Party

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“What the…I—I mean— It’s not even—  A third one? Aaaah….”

—Author Ishmael Reed, seconds before his mysterious spontaneous combustion

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“No fair, Juwanna Mann killed my career!”

—Miguel Nunez, Jr., homeless street performer

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“The ridiculous elocution of the situation—in this instance, Martin Lawrence’s Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son—has often led to a much greater than infinitesimal castration of the African-American male image in our society today. My brother, can you dig it? Or as the late poet Christopher Wallace so aptly put it: ‘Stereotypes of a black male misunderstood/And it’s still all good.'”

—Michael Eric Dyson, University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University

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“It was like seeing Citizen Kane, The Godfather or Madea’s Family Reunion for the first time. I can’t say I’ll ever be the same. After watching Big Mommas, I can certainly say that I changed. Yep, into a dress, wig and some pantyhose for a Saturday Night Live sketch.”

—Kenan Thompson, actor and comedian

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“I prefer the second movie; the beautiful scenes of Mr. Lawrence  cooking and cleaning for that nice family nearly made me cry.”

—Kathryn Stockett, author of the bestselling novel, The Help*

*(Lawrence has been tapped to play a nanny in the upcoming film version of Stockett’s novel.)

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“Breathtaking costumes.”

—Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor

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“If you like Lawrence in Big Mommas, wait till you see him in the next one, Big Momma’s Driving Miss Daisy.

—Morgan Freeman, actor and director of Big Momma’s Driving Miss Daisy

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“I like your movie very much.”

—Director D.W. Griffith in conversation with Martin Lawrence

“Thank you.”

—Martin Lawrence in conversation with D.W. Griffith

@Reeamilcarscott

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