Big Momma's House (2000)

An FBI agent disguises himself as an old lady to protect a beautiful federal witness and her son.

Director:

Raja Gosnell

Writers:

Darryl Quarles (story), Darryl Quarles (screenplay),

Stars:

Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, Paul Giamatti

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martin Lawrence	...	Malcolm Turner
Nia Long	...	Sherry Pierce
Paul Giamatti	...	John
Jascha Washington	...	Trent Pierce
Terrence Howard	...	Lester Vesco (as Terrence Dashon Howard)
Anthony Anderson	...	Nolan
Ella Mitchell	...	Hattie Mae Pierce (Big Momma)
Carl Wright	...	Ben Rawley
Phyllis Applegate	...	Sadie
Starletta DuPois	...	Miss Patterson
Jessie Mae Holmes	...	Miss Other Patterson
Nicole Prescott	...	Lena
Octavia Spencer	...	Twila (as Octavia L. Spencer)
Tichina Arnold	...	Ritha
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Reverend

Storyline

FBI agent Malcolm Turner is known best for being a brilliant, master of disguise. Malcolm's latest assignment sends him to small-town Georgia, where he's assigned to trap a brutal bank robber (and a recent prison escapee) who they suspect will be coming down to visit his ex-girlfriend Sherry and her son. Malcolm sets up a stakeout across from the home of a larger-than-life southern matriarch known as Big Momma, who's about to be visited by Sherry. It's a simple plan, but there's one big problem: Unbeknownst to Sherry, Big Momma has unexpectedly left town. So Malcolm, decides to impersonate the cantankerous Southern granny. Using a few tricks of disguise, he completely transforms himself into Big Momma, even taking on the corpulent septuagenarian's everyday routine-from cooking soul food to delivering babies to "testifying" at the local church. In the mean time, Malcolm starts falling for Sherry, who may or may not be hiding some stolen cash. Now, Malcolm/Big Momma must somehow find a ...

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Plot Keywords:

disguise | fbi | southern | church | undercover | 

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Taglines:

He's Deep Undercover.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for crude humor including sexual innuendo, and for language and some violence

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 June 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mi abuela es un peligro

Filming Locations:

Nibley Park, 1301 East Mountain Street, Glendale, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£794,754 (UK) (23 June 2000)

Gross:

ESP 869,859,468 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Regency Enterprises, Runteldat Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filming and postproduction took place over a period of only 5 months.

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Goofs

In the scene where the other woman meet up with Big Momma (Malcolm) and tell her she is losing weight , you can clearly tell that she is wearing a fat suit under her dress when she starts dancing.

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Quotes

Sherry: Oh, it's so good to see you, Big Momma. I thought you may forgotten all about me.
Malcolm Turner: Shut your mouth, child. Oh, Big Momma could never forget that ass...
Sherry: What?
Malcolm Turner: ...ma. Asthma. Do you remember you had asthma?

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Half Past Dead 2 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"That's What I'm Looking For (Mr. Dupri Remix)"
Written by Da Brat, Jermaine Dupri and Missy Elliot (as Missy Elliott)
Performed by Da Brat featuring Missy Elliot (as Missy Elliott) and Jermaine Dupri
Remixed by Jermaine Dupri for So So Def Productions, Inc.
Missy Elliott appears courtesy of The Gold Mind, Inc./EastWest
Da Brat appears courtesy of So So Def Recordings
Jermaine Dupri appears courtesy of So So Def Recordings

User Reviews

Not excellent, but often funny

Martin Lawrence is often trusty in the world of comedy. Maybe I'm just overcoming his awful "Blue Streak," but I felt this comedy--though saggy at times--was quite funny. The premise is undoubtedly implausible. How's a whole neighborhood going to believe that this undercover cop with a latex body that looks somewhat like Big Momma is actually Big Momma? There's a lot of disbelief to suspend. But the gags often worked and I can say I laughed about 75 percent of the time. Some are predictable, like when Big Momma takes a karate class and starts beating the teacher--played by Anthony Anderson--to a pulp, but they still work due to the way they're handled. And Lawrence turns in yet another fine comic performance, with a script that could've used a rewrite but was nowhere near as bad as the crackerjack script he had to work with in "Blue Streak." The talented comic helps keep the movie togehter, with a little assistance from the supporting cast. Paul Giamatti, who was great as Pig Vomit in the acclaimed "Private Parts," is funny as Lawrence's partner. We also have "Me Myself and Irene's" Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer.

The plot is chaotic, sometimes predictable, and becomes more and more implausible by the minute but the comedy works and because of that we're able to excuse the script's shortcomings. "Big Momma" doesn't deliver the biggest laughs, but it's good, fun entertainment on a lonely weekday afternoon.

My score: 7 (out of 10)