ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, June 29, 1996 TAG: 9607020007
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EXTRA EDITION: METRO
TYPE: MOVIE REVIEW
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
"The Nutty Professor" is the funniest movie Eddie Murphy has made since "Beverly Hills Cop."
The humor is too strong for younger audiences, but it's based on the more playful side of Murphy's screen persona. To be completely accurate, that should be the more playful sides - he portrays seven different characters under heavy makeup and special effects.
Loosely based on an overrated Jerry Lewis comedy, the film is a Jekyll-and-Hyde story. Wellman College science professor Sherman Klump (Murphy) is a 400-pounder, complete with fully loaded pocket protector, who's horribly shy around women. When grad student Carla Purty (Jada Pinkett) arrives at Wellman, it takes all of his courage to ask her out.
But when Sherman's experiments with DNA restructuring strike gold, he experiments on himself and - PRESTO! - the obese Klump is transformed into Buddy Love (Murphy), a sleek love machine who sets out to sweep Carla off her feet.
The film is at its best in the big scenes: a mass escape of lab mice; a long set-piece in a nightclub; and, best of all, two family dinners with Murphy playing Sherman, his parents, his brother and grandmother. The first becomes the domestic equivalent of the infamous campfire scene in "Blazing Saddles," and the second is almost as laugh-out-loud hilarious.
No, this is not sophisticated stuff, but as director Tom Shadyac proved with his first feature, "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective," his strength is raucous visual humor. He works as well with Murphy as he did with Jim Carrey. Both of them got a lot of help from Rick Baker's makeup effects, which make Sherman look remarkably real.
He's the key to the film. If audiences don't care about him, the rest of the special effects are meaningless. And Sherman is one of the sweetest and most likeable characters Murphy has ever created.
It's good to see him back in top comic form.
The Nutty Professor ***
A Universal release playing at the Salem Valley 8 and Valley View 6. 95 minutes. Rated PG-13 for rude humor, strong language, mild violence.
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Eddie Murphy stars as Professor Sherman Klump, aby CNBcalorically challenged chemistry professor who creates the
almost-perfect diet solution in "The Nutty Professor." color.