Martin Lawrence Dresses Up as a Cranky Old Woman in This FBI Comedy

Martin Lawrence plays an FBI agent who goes undercover as an obese Southern grandmother to catch an escaped convict in Georgia. The premise is simple: a man dresses up as a woman to get close to a suspect. The execution is not.

“Big Momma’s House” is a comedy about a man in drag, and it does not play it subtle. Malcolm Turner, played by Martin Lawrence, is sent to protect Sherry Pierce and her son Trent from Lester Vesco, an escaped convict who may be looking for Sherry because she worked at the bank he robbed. Malcolm hides in a shower curtain after Big Momma eats stewed prunes and rushes to the toilet. He wears a prosthetic mask and fat suit to become Big Momma, and he has to keep up her whole life: her lecherous boyfriend, her job as a midwife, and her attendance at self-defense classes taught by Nolan, a dim-witted security guard who eventually stumbles onto the operation.

Trailer, via filmbiblotekket.

Martin Lawrence’s Performance

Lawrence is the engine of the movie, and he is the reason anyone watches. His physical comedy is broad and committed. He sells the awkwardness of a grown man trapped in a grandmother’s body, and the scenes where he tries to navigate stairs and furniture are genuinely funny. But the humor depends entirely on the contrast between his size and the size of the costume. When the joke is just him being large in a large costume, it loses its edge fast.

The Supporting Cast

Nia Long plays Sherry Pierce, and she brings a grounded presence to the film. She is the mother protecting her son, and the movie leans on her for emotional weight more than it leans on its jokes. Paul Giamatti plays John, Malcolm’s partner, and he gets some of the film’s best lines as the straight man to Lawrence’s chaos. Terrence Howard plays Lester Vesco, the escaped convict, and he is mostly a shadow in the background rather than a threat. Jascha Washington plays Trent, and he holds his own as a young actor, though the role gives him little to do beyond being a hostage in his own home.

What Works

The film has a few moments that land. Malcolm’s attempt to climb a staircase in his bulked-up form is genuinely funny, and the scene where he accidentally reveals himself during a church service is a highlight. The film also knows when to let Lawrence’s timing breathe, and those pauses make the jokes land harder than the ones that rush by.

What Doesn’t Work

The pacing drags in the middle. The film spends too much time on Malcolm maintaining his cover, and the scenes of him attending self-defense classes with Nolan feel like filler rather than setup. The plot is thin. Malcolm finds no evidence linking Sherry to the robbery, and the missing money’s location is never found. The film ends abruptly, with the escape plot barely resolved.

The film also leans heavily on stereotypes about Southern women, and it treats Big Momma as a caricature rather than a person. The humor is based on Malcolm’s discomfort, but the audience is meant to laugh at Big Momma herself, and that is a thin foundation for a comedy. The film’s heart is in the right place — Malcolm bonds with Sherry and Trent despite his cover — but the execution keeps getting in the way.

Where It Falls Short

1. The middle third of the film drags, with too much time spent on Malcolm maintaining his cover.
2. The plot is thin, with Malcolm finding no evidence linking Sherry to the robbery.
3. The film ends abruptly, with the escape plot barely resolved.
4. The humor relies too heavily on stereotypes about Southern women.

None of these problems sink the film completely, but they add up to a movie that is more enjoyable to watch than it is clever.

Final Verdict

“Big Momma’s House” is a movie that knows how to put a performer in a costume and let him run with it. Martin Lawrence is the reason it works at all, and his physical comedy carries scenes that the script cannot. But the film is thin, repetitive, and occasionally mean-spirited in its humor. It is not a great comedy, and it is not a bad one either. It is a modest success that knows exactly what it wants to be and delivers it without much fuss.

action comedy · comedy · drag · Martin Lawrence · movie review