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The Nutty Professor II: |
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rofessor Sherman Klump (Murphy), renowned for his brilliant scientific accomplishments almost as much as for his enormous girth, has made another amazing breakthrough. Through his studies in genetics and gene therapy--and in collaboration with his lovely Wellman University colleague Professor Denise Gains (Jackson)--Klump has created, in effect, a youth formula. Yet while the elixir is fast-acting, its regenerative effects are only temporary.
At home, Sherman's family (all but the youngest played by Murphy) is as uproarious as ever. His father's been "retired" from his construction job after 35 years and is having problems with his "manhood," which has Sherman's mother terribly worried and his (ever-libidinous) grandmother unrelenting in her cruelty. And Sherman's brother is just as resentful as ever. But these are only just the beginnings of Klump's problems.
Buddy Love, Klump's alter ego (the slim Mr. Hyde to Klump's overweight Dr. Jekyll from the previous Nutty Professor movie, also played by Murphy), has been making waves in Sherman's conscious mind lately, causing the professor to blurt out--and act out--in the most embarrassingly id-like ways. Klump wants Buddy gone for good, especially when his presence begins to seriously threaten Klump's suddenly blossoming relationship with Denise.
Sherman then decides to subject himself to a very dangerous procedure--to extract the genes that he and his faithful assistant, Jason (Ales), have identified as those responsible for the Buddy personality. The procedure is a success, but now there are two more problems--Sherman's losing his intelligence as a result, and his alter ego has come to life (once again) after the-goop-that-was-Buddy became accidentally combined with the hair of the lab's pet dog.
So with a new lease on life and a keen sense of smell, Buddy decides he wants the millions that can be made from Sherman's youth formula for himself. All Buddy has to do now is get past Sherman's horny grandmother.
Comedy or tragedy?
It's undeniable that Eddie Murphy has accomplished an amazing comedic feat with his numerous performances in The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Reprising the roles he most adeptly and hilariously portrayed in the 1996 film The Nutty Professor, Murphy brings to life no fewer than six characters in a convincing, incredibly funny, and, yes, even somewhat complex and touching manner. It's sometimes easy to forget that it's him behind all that makeup and latex.
The story and the script that Murphy and the audience must endure in this movie, however, are another matter entirely. While the production quality of the film is quite high, it just goes to show that throwing a lot of money at something most definitely does not guarantee that it will be good. Endless bathroom humor, sex and fat jokes aside (some of which, admittedly, are actually very funny), the film's narrative moves along at times like a bad dream. The elements in the story are like foreign bodies that crash awkwardly off of one another.
The film's gross-out factor--which many Hollywood comedies, since the advent of films like There's Something About Mary, seem to feel the need to ratchet up a notch with each successive release--is most often ridiculously bad, frequently detracting from what (visual and verbal) comedic smartness there is in the movie. Janet Jackson, while pleasant enough to watch, is less than convincing as a scientist (though perhaps it should be remembered that this is a comedy). However, Larry Miller as Dean Richmond does a decent, funny job given the material with which he has to work. It's almost tragic that he and Murphy waste their performances on a film that is so mediocre.
As the movie builds to a climax, there's a countdown of sorts, showing how much of Sherman's brain continues to become damaged as the film goes on. I could definitely relate. -- Matt
Also in this issue: The Burkittsville Seven
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