Big Momma's House | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Raja Gosnell |
Produced by |
David T. Friendly Michael Green |
Screenplay by | Darryl Quarles Don Rhymer |
Story by | Darryl Quarles |
Starring |
Martin Lawrence Nia Long Paul Giamatti Terrence Howard Anthony Anderson Jascha Washington Ella Mitchell Cedric the Entertainer |
Music by | Richard Gibbs |
Cinematography | Michael D. O'Shea |
Edited by |
Bruce Green Kent Beyda |
Production
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Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date
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Running time
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98 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $30 million |
Box office | $173,959,438 |
Big Momma's House is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell, written by Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer, and starring Martin Lawrence as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The majority of the film took place in Cartersville, Georgia, but the film was shot on location in California. The prime shooting spots were Los Angeles and Orange County. The film is also notable for being one of only four titles to be released on the EVD video format. It has garnered a significant cult following since its release.
The film begins in an illegal underground dog-fighting arena in Korea, where an FBI agent, John Maxwell (Paul Giamatti), has been identified. John is ordered to be killed by a Korean mob boss, but is eventually rescued by his undercover partner and master of disguise, Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence). Suddenly, a group of FBI agents storm around the arena.
Meanwhile, a criminal named Lester Vesco (Terrence Howard), who was originally serving a life sentence in prison for murder and armed robbery, escapes from his cell by killing the doctor and stealing his car. The FBI assigns Malcolm and John to capture Lester by sending them to small-town Cartersville, Georgia to stake out the house of a heavyset, elderly African American woman, Hattie Mae Pierce (Ella Mitchell; whom her friends call "Big Momma"), the estranged Southern grandmother of Lester's ex-girlfriend, Sherry Pierce (Nia Long), who supposedly aided Lester in his original bank robbery by giving him the key to the vault. After Big Momma unexpectedly leaves town to help her ill friend within a couple of weeks, Malcolm and John sneak into her house to plant security cameras and tap the phones. Sherry later calls Big Momma's house and Malcolm disguises his voice as Big Momma in order to lure Sherry and possibly obtain a confession. The plan works, and Malcolm and John work together on a Big Momma disguise costume before Sherry's arrival the next day.