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Eddie Murphy was considered the front-runner to win his first Oscar for the supporting role of James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls. When he didn't, there were whispers it was because voters were subjected to the ads for Norbit while casting their ballots. Brian Robbins's film is indeed vulgar and disagreeable, but it's not hard to understand why Murphy developed this particular story (with brother Charlie). Thunder Early may have brought him acclaim from critics, but Murphy's own personal challenge has always been to see how many different character types he can mimic. With a career's worth of assistance from makeup artist Rick Baker, he's morphed into other sizes, races, and genders like no one in movie history -- often, several per film. The problem in Norbit is that these additional characters, so sweet in the likes of Coming to America, have finally hit the level of just plain wrong. His 300+ pound Rasputia -- the focal point of every ad for Norbit -- is one of the most obscene creations ever committed to film, specifically offending blacks and overweight people, and generally offending everyone else with her unremittingly crude behavior. She drowns out all the film's attempts at sweetness, of which there are many, mostly compliments of a surely regretful Thandie Newton. Slightly less racially dubious, and slightly more stunning in terms of Baker's makeup work, is Murphy's turn as Mr. Wong, the owner of a Chinese restaurant/orphanage. It's not that Murphy isn't basically impressive in all three of his roles, including the bespectacled titular geek. There's no doubting his ability, even when it doesn't produce any laughter. What's in question is his ability to let good taste limit him where his own ambitions can't. Murphy will need to figure that out -- if he ever wants another shot at an Oscar, that is.