Customer Reviews
Very, very funny - By: KM, 07 Apr 2008 
In the style of classic comedies such as Mrs Doubtfire, White Chicks & The Nutty Professor, Martin Lawrence stars as FBI agent Malcolm Turner who must go undercover as he disguises himself as a bank robber's ex-girlfirend's grandmother named Hattie Mae Pierce, aka Big Momma. He is assigned to trap a bank robber who they suspect will be coming down to visit his ex-girlfriend Sherry & her son, Trent..
To be honest I had low expectations for this film & was just expecting a repeat of what we saw in Mrs Doubtfire but instead this is an absolutely hilarious dress-up comedy where Lawrence is in one of his best performances yet. So many comedy moments that had me literallly in stitches for a majority of the film. Some clever twists & loads of tricky & side-splitting situations. It's never going to win an Oscar but it is one film I know I will definitely watch & enjoy again. Recommended for a quiet night in with some popcorn & a few drinks & lots of guaranteed laughs.
A FUNNY FILM - By: stuart, 07 Aug 2007 The biggest problem with Big Momma's house is that you can often see just how funny it should be, but the cast & crew are not able to sustain the occasional hilarious parts with any consistency.
It doesn't seem to help that Big Momma's House wants to be more than a comedy. Writers Darryl Quarles & Don Rhymer shoot for a combination of a crime comedy ala Beverly Hills Cop (1984) & a romantic comedy. But the core comedy is absurdist, while the mostly serious crime stuff is so underwritten that it would be better absent, & the somewhat serious rom-com stuff is so generic & predictable that it has alll the surprise of attending Mass.
To me, the comedy being absurdist is a plus, but it doesn't mesh well with other modes. It's ridiculous, of course, that Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence) is trying to pass himself off as "Big Momma" Hattie Mae Pierce (Ella Mitchell). That's a large part of what makes it funny. However, director Raja Gosnell's decision to play the rest of the cast as mostly deadpan is a strange one. It leads the viewer to take the film in a more realist mode, but if you're doing that, you keep asking yourself why anyone else would believe that Turner is actuallly Big Momma. Gosnell should have gone for another approach during the Turner as Big Momma scenes. It's not that they're never funny, but too often the deadpan interaction breaks the humor.
However, the deadpan attitude works wonders when Mitchell is Big Momma. Mitchell is a fantastic here as a comic actress & especiallly Paul Giamatti as John is hilarious interacting with her. Once those too-brief scenes ended, I was wishing they wouldn't have, & when they reappeared again at the end, it made me more fully realize how much better they were. A whole film could have & should have been written around Mitchell as Big Momma with Giamatti & Lawrence interacting with her & beautiful co-star Nia Long via some other story.
Even with these problems, Big Momma is an enjoyable film. I'm looking forward to watching Big Momma's House 2, & l'll certainly watch this again in the future. But it's a case of moments of brilliance poking through so that you see just how much better it could have been.
Funny! - By: Julia Ann Davies, 19 Feb 2006 Martin Laurence is one of the funniest guys around!!! This film is great, sooooooooo funny! Seriously!!! This & Blue Streak have to be his best!
Big Momma's House = Big Laughs! - By: Mr. D. L. Armstrong, 17 Feb 2006 
TAG LINE: This FBI agent is going undercover... & he's concealing more than a weapon.
Those who are thinking about mugging this southern grandma, should think again. (and RUN!) This senior citizen is packing! She's tough, streetwise & smart.
The film itself is packed full of attitude, huge laughs & a great plot. The talented Martin Lawrence plays FBI agent, Malcolm Turner who dons a fat suit, alll in the name of justice.
He goes undercover as Hattie Mae Pierce - Known to the community of Cartersville, Georgia as "Big Momma" - A tough southern OAP. Where Malcolm's main goal is to pursue a dangerous criminal, he also has to keep his identity secret.
So, Turner soon finds himself getting lost in the character of big momma. The trouble is that the caring "Big Momma", is a well known & respected member of the community, so its going to be one hell of task. Though I must say, the folks of Cartersville must be thinking their local saint is going a little senile!
The film is full of laughs & witty one liners, though it has a few well placed emotional scenes, the film is light-hearted & makes great family viewing, delivering nothing heavy & overly dramatic.
There is also an essence of suspense in this film. You keep expecting Big Momma's cover to be blown, but then only finding yourself laughing at the escape tactics used by Malcolm.
This film stands out as one to watch, amongst the other comedies of the early 21st Century.
The only real disappointment is when the end credits begin to roll, But at the same time you are probably wishing your grandma was as hip!
Great comedy - By: Mrs. L. B. Jump, 18 Jan 2005 This is a great film for kids & big kids! Its just simple humour but had me in stitches more than once, good characters & story. Good family viewing
