The Nutty Professor (1996)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Too much of everything

Such a frustrating disappointment

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Eddie Murphy is a comedian who in recent years has in my opinion peaked in terms of quality. It is easy then to forget that in the early days of his career he was a sensation, giving us memorable hits such as 'Coming To America', 'Trading Places', 'Beverly Hills Cop' and, the best of them all in my view, 'The Nutty Professor', which was a remake of the 1963 film starring Jerry Lewis ( who allegedly was meant to appear in this version but pulled out due to his distaste over the reliance of toilet humour in the script ).Murphy plays Sherman Klump, a morbidly obese yet well-meaning, kind hearted and well respected scientist whose kind, quiet nature is often exploited, particularly by his greedy, arrogant boss Dean Richmond, as well as by his loud family ( in particular his belligerent, perpetually farting father Cletus ). One day at work, he meets mature chemistry graduate Carla Purty and is smitten by her. Due to his weight, he feels that she won't be interested in him and in an attempt to gain her interest takes a sample of a slimming serum he has invented, which transforms him into a thinner, more youthful, better looking version of himself who he renames Buddy Love. Buddy is everything Sherman has ever dreamed of being, however Buddy's confidence spirals out of control and things rapidly go from bad to worse for poor Sherman. Will Buddy cease to exist or will Buddy kill off Sherman for good? I have never seen the 1963 film so I am unable to compare the two but one thing I am certain of is that 'The Nutty Professor' is a prime contender for Eddie Murphy's CV of fine comedy. Eddie Murphy has the most challenging job of portraying not only Klump but also Buddy and indeed the entire Klump family, however it would not be fair to not give credit to his supporting cast. Jada Pinkett ( wife of Will Smith ) is fine as Sherman's romantic interest Carla whilst Larry Miller is suitably slimy and conniving as Richmond. Special mention should be made of the screenwriters - David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein, Tom Shadyac and Steve Oedekerk whose outrageously funny script not only had tears rolling down my face but also dealt excellently with the issue of obesity.Some overweight viewers may find it uncomfortable to watch but should stick with it as it is one of the few things which manages to successfully ridicule prejudice against obesity rather than applaud it.'The Nutty Professor' was so successful that four years later a sequel was made - 'The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps' ( which I went to see on its cinematic release in my hometown, despite being two and a half years younger than the film's age certificate ). It did not do as well first film, critically or commercially. Personally, I thought it compared rather well with the first film.Funniest moment - the 'farting at the dinner table' scene involving the Klump family. Disgusting I know, but it is still hilarious and creases me up each time.Second funniest moment - a nightmare sequence in which Sherman dreams of himself as a Godzilla type creature wreaking havoc around the city. Only then to destroy the world after letting off a humongous fart!

This is a typical Eddie movie. Typical in that he plays seven characters, six of them appearing in the same scene. Basically he plays his main character, the Professor, Buddy Love (the only character without heaps of makeup), his mother, father, brother, and grandmother. The skill at which this is done is shown in the two scenes when they are all sitting around a table arguing. I doubt this is because Murphy is cheap but rather because he wants to do it. The other thing that is impressive is the skill that goes into the makeup to disguise Murphy.The Nutty Professor is about a professor, Sherman Klumpp, who is incredibly fat. He is very conscious about his size, and after being torn to shreds by a comedian when he is out on a date with an attractive colleague, he decides to imbue a formula that he has been developing. Sure enough he turns into a handsome, slender, man who calls himself Buddy Love.Basically this movie has a number of themes and is based upon Dr Jeckal and Mr Hyde. I have not had the pleasure of reading the book, so I do not know the themes of the original (I think it has something to do with the beast that is within man), but here the roles are reversed. The beast is Buddy Love while the Dr is Sherman Klumpp. Klumpp may not be attractive, but he is a nice, kind hearted man while Buddy Love is a sexual tyrant who couldn't care less about anybody else. In fact, the more he becomes Buddy Love, the worse he gets.I guess the theme is be content with yourself. Even though Klumpp is hideously fat and his family are incredibly filthy, Dr Purty, the woman that Klumpp likes, thinks that he is okay. She not only went out on a date with him, but also tolerated his family. Another theme is that good looks doesn't always mean a good heart. Buddy Love is a womaniser who couldn't care less about what others think. He may be a fast talker, but that does not work on those who have come close to him, like Miss Purty.This is an Eddie Murphy film, and as such I like it a lot. It is a movie that one can watch while turning off ones' brain. Okay, there is a Jeckle and Hyde theme running through, but it isn't as serious as other rumours that I have seen. This is simply fun movie.

The Nutty Professor (1996)*** 1/2 (out of 4) Hilarious remake of the Jerry Lewis film about the overweight Sherman Klump (Eddie Murphy) who comes up with a chemical that will turn anyone skinny overnight. Klump rushes the experiment on himself after an embarrassing night out and becomes the skinny but annoying Buddy Love (Murphy). At first Buddy thinks this is what he wants but the side effects quickly follow. I don't care what anyone says but Eddie Murphy should have won the Oscar for this film and yes I've seen all the nominations from that year. It's rather amazing to see what Murphy was able to do here, playing at least seven characters and making of them one of the most memorable you're ever going to see. I don't care who you are but when you see Sherman Klump you can't help but fall in love with the character and the way Murphy plays him is just something amazing to watch. Even the Buddy Love character is quite memorable and this doesn't even cover the Klump family that Murphy perfectly handles. Rick Baker also deserves a lot of credit for the special effects and these here have to be considered some of the greatest of his career. The film really does walk the line between hilarious comedy and some rather sad and dramatic moments. There's no question that the film really packs a punch no matter what it's trying to do. The story itself certainly comes with a message that's not preachy and I think Murphy really delivers it in a touching way. The one flaw with the film is that it breaks out of a realistic nature at times and especially with way too many fart jokes. Still, there's no question that this here is Murphy at his greatest and the Sherman character is just so great that you can't help but be won over by the film.

Along with 'Beverly Hills Cop', it was the 'Nutty Professor' that cemented that signature Eddie Murphy smile as iconic. It's infectious and more often than not, serves to draw you more towards his characters. Although the protagonist is the sweet and unassuming Professor Klump, good old Eddie Murphy truly struts his stuff with the cocky, hyperactive alter ego, Buddy Love, the self proclaimed star of the show. The humour did, at times, descend to a very kiddish level with a comically obese man falling over and pushing things over, but the more mature hilarity really ensues with the 'embarassing family scenes', all the members of whom are portrayed by Murphy, underlining his prowess as a terrific multi character comedian regardless of age, gender or size. The chemistry between Murphy and Jada Pinkett was far from sizzling but Pinkett fulfilled the basic criteria of the love interest which allowed more attention to be shifted towards Murphy's two personas.A nice story which won't leave you in bouts of laughter upon finishing, but will bring more than a few throughout as you enjoy Eddie Murphy in his prime.