Special effects have come a long way since 1963, but they are needlessly overused in the 1996 version of The Nutty Professor. Eddie Murphy changes size and appearance so drastically and so often that we could call him Eddie Morphy. He is terrific playing any number of characters, but all the technical fireworks eventually grow distracting and get in his way.
Sherman Klump is a shy 400-pound university prof, an expert in body chemistry. He has developed a magic weight loss formula in the lab and decides to become his own human guinea pig. Zap! Fat Sherman is transformed into the trim, foul-mouthed womanizer Buddy Love. Now his dreams can come true, right? Well, not quite. Pretty Carla Purty, the object of his affection, isn't exactly in love with Love. There are some genuine belly laughs here as Sherman blows up and down, though one fart joke goes a long way. Twenty fart jokes seem to go on forever. Murphy creates a wonderful character in Sherman, and we feel his pain and embarrassment. This emotional involvement gives The Nutty Professor unexpected depth and shows what Murphy can do when given the opportunity.
Sherman Klump is a shy 400-pound university prof, an expert in body chemistry. He has developed a magic weight loss formula in the lab and decides to become his own human guinea pig. Zap! Fat Sherman is transformed into the trim, foul-mouthed womanizer Buddy Love. Now his dreams can come true, right? Well, not quite. Pretty Carla Purty, the object of his affection, isn't exactly in love with Love. There are some genuine belly laughs here as Sherman blows up and down, though one fart joke goes a long way. Twenty fart jokes seem to go on forever. Murphy creates a wonderful character in Sherman, and we feel his pain and embarrassment. This emotional involvement gives The Nutty Professor unexpected depth and shows what Murphy can do when given the opportunity.