With a few repairs, Big Momma’s House would be a very funny film. As is, the movie pays off in only three hilarious scenes. One shows Martin Lawrence, disguised as Big Momma, an elderly woman who weighs more than two Rosie O’Donnells, beating teenage bullies at basketball. Another depicts Lawrence, as Big Momma again, humiliating a self-defense instructor. The third is a rousing gospel-singing church sequence.

Lawrence, who appeared to age so naturally as Eddie Murphy’s prison buddy in Life, doesn’t fare as well on the other side of the law in his current role. He plays Malcolm Turner, an FBI agent trying to capture an escaped bank robber (Terrence Howard). To crack his cases, Malcolm, a master of disguise, can transform himself into a variety of characters --- which comes in quite handy in his latest assignment. He and his partner (Paul Giametti) have been staking out the home of Big Momma (Ella Maxwell), hoping the robber will come there to meet his former girl friend (Nia Long), Big Momma’s granddaughter. When Big Momma gets called away to help a sick friend, Malcolm turns himself into an outrageous version of the cantankerous senior citizen. Unfortunately, unlike Dustin Hoffman’s Tootsie, Robin Williams’ Mrs. Doubtfire, and Jack Benny’s Charley’s Aunt, Lawrence’s feminine make-over doesn’t work for me. Well, maybe as a Halloween costume idea. Even then, I doubt that it could fool anyone in our neighborhood for more than a minute.

In spite of its one-joke premise, Big Momma’s House held my interest most of the time. I was somewhat amused by Malcolm’s efforts to keep up the Big Momma pretense no matter what happens. I also felt a bit of suspense whenever Big Momma’s granddaughter came close to discovering the charade, especially since the imposter was falling in love with her. But I was disappointed by director Raja Gosnell’s (Home Alone 3) poor judgment in filming two objectionable sequences--- one exploiting the real Big Momma in the bathroom and the other revealing the fake Big Momma as a screaming midwife. Both pander to the most juvenile tastes in humor --- which, I assume, will increase its summer box office potential.

What other improvements are needed in this "fixer-upper" film? More camera time for Ella Maxwell, who plays the real Big Momma, would help. This talented actress not only appeared in The Wiz on Broadway but also performed in concerts with Harry Belafonte, Aretha Franklin, and Roberta Flack as well as in such television shows as Sesame Street and Electric Company. And yet, her powerful singing voice is showcased only briefly at the end of the film.

Finally, because the house Big Momma lives in is so important, more shots of its interior (perhaps in parody of those elegant Masterpiece Theatre introductions) could have added to the homey atmosphere filmmakers were going for. After all, this is the place where an FBI agent becomes a more sensitive man as a result of his experiences there.

Big Momma’s House may not be everyone’s dream home or ideal movie. I expected to sit poker faced because of all its shortcomings. Instead, I surprised myself by my own laughter.

(Released by 20^th Century Fox/Regency Enterprises and rated "PG-13" for crude humor, language, sexual innuendo, brief nudity, and some violence.)