Remember how funny it was when Robin Williams played Mrs. Doubtfire? Or when Dustin Hoffman played Tootsie? Or when Patrick Swayze donned women's clothing in To Wong Foo...? (Okay, that last one was more pathetic than funny.) For some reason, drag has long been a staple of comedy. Even when done well, I'm not sure why I laugh at it. When done poorly, I'm not sure why anyone would bother. The latest actor to wear a dress for laughs is Martin Lawrence, whose film Big Momma's House is a drag movie done with mediocrity.
Lawrence plays Malcolm Turner, an FBI agent trying to locate an escaped convict named Lester. Some money is still missing from the last bank the guy robbed, and Malcolm concludes he may try to retrieve it. Since Lester's ex-girlfriend Sherry (Nia Long) was a suspected accomplice, it stands to reason that he will try to contact her. Malcolm and his partner John (Paul Giamatti) learn that Sherry is fleeing town to hide at her long-lost grandmother's house. They believe she knows Lester's whereabouts, so they set up a stakeout in front of her grandmother's residence to watch her. When grandma takes an unexpected trip before Sherry gets there, Malcolm (conveniently a master of disguise) dresses up as the woman and moves into her home.

Martin Lawrence is the world's phatest grandma in Big Momma's House |
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The plot of Big Momma's House is familiar: Malcolm impersonates Big Momma all over town, falls in love with Sherry and becomes a hero to her young son, and confronts the villain. Of course, no one notices that this isn't the real grandma - not her granddaughter, her friends, or even her paramour - until it's comically convenient. Near the film's end, Malcolm has one of those stereotypical movie speeches in which he asks for everyone's forgiveness for his deception. The explanation he gives is so poorly written, so utterly unconvincing, that I couldn't believe anyone would fall for it. Then again, this is a summer movie.
However lame the story may be, Lawrence pumps the movie so full of energy that I gained some affection for it. In his fat suit, poofy wig, and flowery dress, Lawrence turns himself into a cool granny with a hip-hop attitude. The screenplay comes up with all kinds of situations for him to exploit, some familiar (fending off the advances of a suitor), others quite clever (being forced to deliver a baby). That latter scene is particularly funny, as is the one in which the real Big Momma and the fake Big Momma both end up at the same surprise party. Lawrence is visibly having the time of his life in this get-up. Drag frees him to go over the top, and his enthusiasm is contagious.
But Big Momma's House is unable to shake that absurd plot. There was really no doubt in my mind that Sherry was an unwitting accomplice, or that she and Malcolm would fall in love, even after she learns that he lied to her. It also doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where that money is hidden. What made Mrs. Doubtfire and Tootsie work was that they had a strong story surrounding the idea of men dressing in drag. As funny as Lawrence is, the plot of Big Momma's House exists as nothing more than an excuse to put its star in a dress.
My overall reaction is mixed. Lawrence is really funny, and director Raja Gosnell (Never Been Kissed) gives the movie a sprightly pace. Ultimately though, Big Momma's House is like a see-saw, going from moments of high hilarity to moments of low predictability. It's neither good enough to love, nor bad enough to hate.
( 1/2 out of four)
Big Momma's House is rated PG-13 for crude humor including sexual innuendo, and for language and some violence. The running time is 1 hour and 32 minutes.
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