The Classic Big Momma’s House and why it’s grossly misunderstood thanks to its sequels.
If you’ve seen Big Momma’s House you already know the premise so I don’t have to tell you what it’s about but for those who haven’t seen it, simply, it’s about special FBI agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence) going undercover as the southern overweight grandmother of Sherry(Nia Long), the suspected accomplice of ruthless and psychotic Lester(Terrence Howard).
The film was a box office success grossing over 173 million dollars worldwide. Critics didn’t care for it, but, that didn’t stop the film from becoming a cult classic. Big Momma’s House is a real great film with a great mixture of big comedy, lots of heart, fun action and genuine suspense.
I know what you’re thinking: “Big Momma’s a great film? Really?” YES! If you haven’t seen it in a while I understand just by reading the premise it sounds like a totally idiotic and corny film, but, I think you have this gem confused with it’s awful sequels: Big Momma’s House 2 and Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son. Both of those films take away what made the first Big Momma a really fun and well made movie. Check out the trailer for the first movie:
The trailer expertly displays both the genuinely suspenseful action aspect of the movie as well as the really crazy fun goofy comedy. Now check out the trailers of the sequels:
The stark difference from the first movie to the sequels just by the trailers alone is outstanding. While the first movie blends the more grounded, action plotline with the more big silly humor elements, the trailers for the sequels focus less on the more serious plot and much more on sophomoric goofy humor that’s even more ridiculous(but not in a good way) than the first movie.
I don’t need to explain the stories for the sequels since as you can from the trailers that there basically are none. The first movie had a genuine storyline with Malcolm and his partner John trying to catch Lester by getting close to Sherry and Malcolm ends up falling in love with her and her young son Trent(whose basically been turned into a cartoon in Like Father, Like Son). And the loner agent finally gets the family he always wanted as he gets deeper and deeper into his cover as Big Momma. The genuine heart in the first movie with a slight message of the love and need of family and community was replaced by stupid gags and crude sophomoric humor in the sequels.
Imagine that a scene like this:
Could be in the same film as a scene like this:
What also separates the films is how only the first movie has a legitimate reason for Malcolm to be Big Momma. The sequels it is so contrived and forced that he has to don the Big Momma suit again that it takes you out of the movies completely.
This is all to say that people seem to lump the first movie in with the stupid and just bad sequels just because it’s Big Momma,which is a tragedy because if they dusted their Dvds off or caught it on cable they’d remember what a pretty good film it is. I mean, this movie had an all star brilliant ensemble cast: Martin Lawrence, Paul Giamatti, Nia Long, Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Cedric The Entertainer, Carl Wright, Tichina Arnold, Ella Mitchell and a before she won an Oscar and became a superstar Octavia Spencer etc. Most of these people were either at the prime of their careers or were new faces introduced to the world through this movie and would go on to be pretty big names. No offense to the actors involved in the sequels but the casting was nowhere near as well done with actors that you never heard of or seen nor do you ever see now. A film like a television show is as good as it’s casting and the first movie had a perfect ensemble cast with everyone contributing the the comedy and the storyline, all the characters were fleshed out and it felt like a real world because the people felt like people we all knew or know. The sequels didn’t take the time to do that and in short the movies aren’t nearly as fun to watch or as memorable because of it.
So I ask you to please stop mistaking the first Big Momma with its sequels because it is really fun and enjoyable picture that is just perfect to watch for comfort or if you’re just in the mood to laugh yourself silly at just fun goofy comedy for two hours. If you saw it years ago and developed a bad taste due to the sequels then watch it again from a new perspective because you won’t be disappointed.
I leave you with one last classic Big Momma scene: