Eddie Murphy stars as shy Dr. Sherman, a kind, brilliant, “calorifically challenged” genetics professor. When beautiful Carla Purty (Jada Pinkett) joins the university faculty, Sherman grows desperate to whittle his 400-pound frame down to size to win her heart. So, with one swig of his experimental fat-reducing serum, Sherman becomes "Buddy Love", a fast-talking, pumped-up, plumped-down Don Juan. But both the potion and Buddy prove to be uncontrollable, and Sherman discovers he has created a monster! Can Sherman stop his buff alter ego before it's too late or will Buddy have the last laugh...?

The Nutty Professor is a 1996 remake of the 1963 movie of the same name starring Jerry Lewis. Incidentally Lewis revisited the franchise by providing his vocal talents for the 2008 animated The Nutty Professor, where he voiced Julius Kelp and Buddy Love once again.

I hadn't seen this film for at least 15 years, and I couldn't remember whether I'd originally enjoyed it, or thought it was a little naff. Sure, it was never going to be a high brow thinking man's comedy, but I actually really enjoyed it. I couldn't believe that I actually laughed out loud on quite a few occasions - something I rarely do when watching films these days.

The movie really is a comedy vehicle for Eddie Murphy who goes off the deep end with his portrayal of Buddy Love, the testosterone fuelled result of Professor Klump's experiments into weight loss drugs. Playing Klump, Murphy reigns it in, giving us a loveable, but sad individual who is just looking for love. He also gets to don prosthetic makeup and play the entire Klump family in one hilarious scene in the Klump household.

In fact, the only person who manages to go toe-to-toe with Murphy in the over the top stakes, is Dave Chappelle as the standup comedian Reggie Warrington.

While Murphy's comedic timing and acting is flawless the makeup department really helped to create these larger than life characters. Even today (2016), twenty years on, the makeup is incredibly realistic. You really can't see Murphy underneath the makeup, you totally believe in the Klumps - which is probably why, in the sequel, we get to spend more time with them.

For extras you get the text based Production Notes and Cast & Filmmakers as well as Theatrical Trailer (1 min, 45 sec).

It's a loveable, silly, over the top adventure that is well worth revisiting.

8

Darren Rea