THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 5, 1996 TAG: 9607040050
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRANDON LOCKHART, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: 41 lines
MANY CRITICS are saying ``The Nutty Professor'' is Eddie Murphy's last chance to make a hit movie. If that's the case, we should be seeing more of Murphy in the future. ``The Nutty Professor,'' a remake of the 1963 Jerry Lewis movie of the same name, is actually pretty funny.
Murphy plays Sherman Klump, a 400-pound chemistry professor who falls for his beautiful colleague, Carla Purty, played by Jada Pinkett. Purty respects Klump for his love of science and sees past his obesity. Klump will do anything to win her over, including drinking an experimental slimming serum.
The serum alters the genetic makeup of the body, changing Klump into a skinny, spandex-sporting, muscle man, also played by Murphy. When Klump sees how Purty falls for this womanizing, over-confident alter ego, he becomes addicted to the serum. Of course, there is a catch.
``The Nutty Professor'' is Eddie Murphy doing what he does best - comedy. The movie is mostly comedy, with a little romance. It is a bit insensitive at times and there are a lot of politically-incorrect fat jokes.
Everyone makes mistakes and Murphy does go too far at times. In two scenes at the Klump residence - where Murphy plays Mama Klump, Grandma Klump, Papa Klump, and Klump's brother Ernie - Papa Klump farts so much that if you lit a match you'd have a crater the size of the Grand Canyon. How many times can you fart and be funny?
Other than those few scenes, the movie was good.
The director Tom Shadyac (``Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'') did a wonderful job. So did those handling special effects.
Overall, Murphy does an excellent job both acting and watching his language, the latter enough to swing a PG-13 rating. All in all, this is a movie worth seeing. MEMO: Brandon Lockhart is a rising junior at Princess Anne High School
in Virginia Beach. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Eddie Murphy stars as the brilliant Sherman Klump. by CNB