Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
USA 2000
Reviewed by Charles Taylor
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
US, the present day. Science professor Sherman Klump is working on an anti-ageing serum. Later, at a family dinner, he insults his father; tests show that Sherman has an abnormal gene which he believes is a trace of Buddy Love, the obnoxious alter ego he thought he was rid of. When Sherman tries to propose marriage to genetics professor Denise Gaines, he suffers another outburst. He extracts the Buddy Love gene, and the following evening successfully proposes to Denise.
Buddy, however, is recreated as a separate entity after an accident at the lab and asks for his share of the youth serum. Sherman is later offered $150 million from Phleer Pharmaceuticals for the serum. Finding his apartment ransacked by Buddy, Sherman hides the serum at his parents' house. Papa Klump drinks the anti-ageing agent and is rejuvenated; when Buddy sees him, he guesses the whereabouts of the serum, which he steals.
Buddy later sets up a meeting with Phleer which has called off the deal with Sherman. After tests show that his brain is deteriorating since his separation from Buddy, Sherman tells Denise they can't marry. Determined to rejoin with Buddy, Sherman interrupts his meeting with Phleer and gives him the youth serum. Buddy turns into genomic fluid. Sherman gives chase but the Buddy fluid evaporates next to a fountain. Denise finds Sherman. A tear drops from her eye on to Buddy's DNA and into the fountain. He drinks from the fountain and regains his old intelligence levels. Sherman and Denise marry.
Review
Eddie Murphy's performance in the 1996 remake of The Nutty Professor was perhaps the sweetest example of self-loathing ever seen in the movies. In the original 1963 film, Jerry Lewis reputedly turned his character's alter ego Buddy Love into a parody of Dean Martin. But Murphy's Buddy Love was his worst nightmare of himself: a loud-mouthed narcissist, Love was almost an exaggerated version of the persona that made Murphy a star. When, as the movie's hero Sherman Klump, Murphy suffered the taunts of a television comedian, he seemed to be blaming himself for spawning a crass strain of black stand-up comedy. In the film, audiences learned to hate the very qualities they once loved in Murphy, while falling for his endearing, tubby character, Sherman Klump. The actor may have been hiding inside Sherman's latex bulk but he was as emotionally open as he'd ever been; and, as critic Elvis Mitchell recently noted, Murphy knew how to act through the prosthetics. It's one of the great comic performances in recent American movies.
This sequel manages to be just as funny though much cruder and not as sweet. Sherman's relation to Buddy has become even more complex: here, Buddy is literally a parasite whom Sherman expunges from his genetic makeup. It's hard not to feel that Murphy is addressing his own ambivalence about the new, friendlier persona which brought him his greatest success. By banishing Buddy, Sherman risks becoming permanently enfeebled, and that seems to suggest that Murphy is afraid to - or can't - let go of his old ways. And yet Buddy is made even more hateful here; each of his appearances makes us feel ever more protective of Sherman.
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps capitalises on the first movie's most virtuosic turn, Murphy's impersonation of Sherman's entire family - a turn that's heir to a tradition in African-American comedy of loving, observant humour about family life that never turns homiletic. Each Klump, particularly Sherman's adoring, big-hearted mother, is a distinct creation. And if some are played just for laughs - such as Sherman's horny grandmother, the source of the movie's most outrageous and funniest jokes - others are so real they take on a life of their own. For a director who doesn't hesitate to push the scatological humour (the best bit being a fleeting parody of Kubrick's overrated 2001: A Space Odyssey), Peter Segal (Naked Gun 33 1/3)is surprisingly capable of some graceful moments, such as the scene where Sherman uses fireflies to spell out his marriage proposal to Denise and the touching climax where he is saved by his beloved shedding a tear - a moment that genuinely deserves the overworked appellation 'Chaplinesque'.
Credits
- Director
- Peter Segal
- Producer
- Brian Grazer
- Screenplay
- Barry W. Blaustein
- David Sheffield
- Paul Weitz
- Chris Weitz
- From a story by
- Steve Oedekerk
- Barry W. Blaustein
- David Sheffield
- Based on characters created by
- Jerry Lewis
- Bill Richmond
- Director of Photography
- Dean Semler
- Editor
- William Kerr
- Production Designer
- William Elliott
- Music
- David Newman
- ©Universal Studios
- Production Companies
- Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment present a Brian Grazer production
- Executive Producers
- Jerry Lewis
- Eddie Murphy
- Tom Shadyac
- Karen Kehela
- James D. Brubaker
- Co-producers
- James Whitaker
- Michael Ewing
- Production Supervisors
- Tina L. Fortenberry
- Janet Wattles
- Production Co-ordinator
- Gretchen Bryn Van Zeebroeck
- Unit Production Manager
- James D. Brubaker
- Location Manager
- Liz Matthews
- Post-production Co-ordinator
- Susie Brubaker
- 2nd Unit Director
- Mickey Gilbert
- Assistant Directors
- Josh King
- Marcei A. Brubaker
- David Riebel
- Hans Berggren
- Script Supervisors
- Susan Bierbaum Owen
- 2nd Unit:
- Karon May
- Toby Forlenza
- Harri James
- Casting
- Pamela Basker
- Joanne Koehler
- Administrator:
- Terry L. Lamfers
- Voice:
- Loop du Jour
- Script Co-ordinators
- Robert Mellette
- Peter Tibbals
- 2nd Unit Director of Photography
- Don McCuaig
- Camera Operators
- Joseph Urbanczyk
- Richard Merryman
- 2nd Unit:
- James W. Roberson
- David Hill
- Steadicam Operators
- Stephen Campanelli
- Randy Nolen
- Visual Effects Supervisor
- Jon Farhat
- Visual Effects Producers
- Jennifer Bell
- Robert Stadd
- Special Visual Effects
- Double Negative
- Digital Visual Effects
- C.O.R.E Digital Pictures
- Special Visual Effects
- Syd Dutton
- Bill Taylor
- Illusion Arts
- Additional Visual Effects
- Pacific Title/Mirage
- Pixel Magic
- Projection Effects
- Gearhouse, L.A.
- Animatronic Hamster Puppets
- Alec Gillis
- Tom Woodruff Jr
- Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc
- Graphic Designer
- David E. Scott
- 'Baby Buddy' Animation
- Mobility, Inc
- Puppeteers
- Alec Gillis
- Yuri Everson
- Steve Frakes
- Andy Schoneberg
- Hiroshi Kan Ikeuchi
- Anthony Matijevich
- Additional Editor
- Michael L. Sale
- Art Director
- Greg Papalia
- Set Designers
- John Berger
- Patricia Klawonn
- Kristen Pratt
- Masako Masuda
- John Warnke
- Set Decorator
- John Anderson
- Production Illustrators
- Tom Lay
- Carlos Huante
- Lead Storyboard Artist
- Dan Sweetman
- Storyboard Artists
- Tom Jung
- Darrin Dehlinger
- Costume Designer
- Sharen Davis
- Costume Supervisor
- Loring I. Spicer
- Make-up
- Key Artist:
- Nena Smarz
- Body:
- Edie Giles
- 2nd Unit, Body:
- Sherry P. Carrolle
- Special Make-up Effects
- Rick Baker
- David Leroy Anderson
- Mark Garbarino
- Kylie M. Bell
- Will Huff
- Ken Chase
- Vera Steimberg Moder
- Christien Tinsley
- Deborah Patino
- Geneva Nash Morgan
- Sculpture/Design
- Mitch Devane
- Matt Rose
- Aaron Sims
- Eddie Yang
- Kazuhiro Tsuji
- Wigs/Hair
- Sylvia Nava
- Audrey Goetz
- Foam Latex
- Roland Blancaflor
- Richard Davison
- Molds
- Jim McLoughlin
- Gil Liberto
- Eve Neimand
- Steve Prouty
- Frank Rydberg
- Specialty Costumes
- Claire Flewin
- Maria Sundeen
- Beate Eisele
- Erica Freeman
- Dentures
- Yoichi Sakamoto
- Animatronics
- Mark Setrakian
- Jurgen Heimann
- Nick Esposito
- Production Supervisor
- Bill Sturgeon
- Hair
- Key Stylist:
- Candy L. Walken
- Stylists:
- Kerry Mendenhall
- Pinky Cunningham
- Sandy Bailey
- David J. Blair
- Erma Kent
- Louisa V. Anthony
- Titles/Opticals
- Pacific Title/Mirage
- Orchestrations
- Alexander Janko
- Music Supervisors
- Gary Jones
- Happy Walters
- Music Editors
- Tom Villano
- Jim Harrison
- Scoring Mixer
- John Kurlander
- Scoring Consultant
- Krys Newman
- Soundtrack
- "Oh Happy Day"; "Love the One You're With"; "Happy Birthday to You"; "The Magic Touch" - The Platters; "Tell Me Something Good" - Rufus; "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" - James Brown; "Macho Man" - Village People; "Star Wars"; "Soul Train Theme"; "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" - Jerry Vale; "One in a Million You"
- Scoring Sound Designer
- Marty Frasu
- Sound Mixers
- Jose Antonio Garcia
- 2nd Unit:
- Susumi Tokonow
- Douglas Schulman
- Winfred Tennison
- Re-recording Mixers
- Steve Maslow
- Gregg Landaker
- Recordists
- Brion Paccassi
- Frank Fleming
- Supervising Sound Editor
- Michael Hilkene
- Dialogue Editors
- Robert Fitzgerald
- Jeffrey Kaplan
- Sound Effects Design
- Ken J. Johnson
- Additional Sound Effects Design
- Robert Fitzgerald
- Sound Effects Editors
- David Grimaldi
- Fred Judkins
- Douglas Parker
- ADR
- L.A. Recordists:
- Rick Canelli
- Phillip Rogers
- N.Y. Recordist:
- Alex Raspa
- L.A. Mixers:
- Thomas J. O'Connell
- Alan Holly
- N.Y. Mixer:
- David Boulton
- Editor:
- Julie Feiner
- Foley
- Artists:
- Dan O'Connell
- John Cucci
- Recordist:
- Linda Lew
- Mixer:
- James Ashwill
- Editor:
- Piero Mura
- Technical Adviser
- Wayne W. Grody
- Medical Adviser/Tech
- Louis C. Farah
- Stunt Co-ordinators
- Mickey Gilbert
- Alan Oliney
- Animal Action
- Karl Lewis Miller
- Head Animal Trainer
- April Morley
- Cast
- Eddie Murphy
- Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/Granny Klump/ Mama Klump/Papa Klump/young Papa Klump/Ernie Klump/ Lance Perkins
- Janet Jackson
- Denise Gaines
- Larry Miller
- Dean Richmond
- John Ales
- Jason
- Richard Gant
- Denise's father
- Anna Maria Horsford
- Denise's mother
- Melinda McGraw
- Leanne Guilford
- Jamal Mixon
- Ernie Klump Jr
- Gabriel Williams
- Isaac
- Chris Elliott
- resturant manager
- Duffy Taylor
- restaurant trainee
- Earl Boen
- Doctor Knoll
- Nikki Cox
- Ms Stamos
- Freda Payne
- Claudine
- Sylvester Jenkins
- Old Willie
- Wanda Sykes
- Chantal
- George King
- stripper
- Charles Walker
- preacher
- Enya Flack
- bridesmaid
- Andrea C. Robinson
- party guest/bridesmaid
- Kym E. Whitley
- party guest
- Selma Stern
- Mrs Dudikoff
- Julia Schultz
- receptionist
- Barry W. Blaustein
- David Sheffield
- men in bathroom
- Ralph Drischell
- Zeke
- Myles Mason
- Jeffery Michael Freeman
- Maurice Colquitt
- Baby Buddy
- Bill Applebaum
- Harry S. Murphy
- boardroom members
- Tom Jourden
- guy in elevator
- Shawnette Heard
- Kelly Konno
- Laurie Sposit
- Nadine Ellis
- dancers
- Kevin Michael Mondane
- Buddy at 15
- Viola Kates Stimpson
- sweet old lady
- Naomi Kale
- buxom student
- Kenté Scott
- fraternity student
- Justin Urich
- lecture student
- Sonya Eddy
- heavyset woman
- James D. Brubaker
- krusty reporter
- Richie Palmer
- cab driver
- Charles Napier
- four star general
- Steve Kehela
- Miguel A. Nuñez Jr
- scientists
- Renee Tenison
- dog owner
- Richard Saxton
- American newscaster
- Peter Segal
- William Kerr
- scared popcorn men
- Michael Ewing
- hot dog vendor
- Nicole Segal
- scared little girl
- Certificate
- 12
- Distributor
- United International Pictures (UK) Ltd
- 9,590 feet
- 106 minutes 34 seconds
- Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS
- Colour by
- DeLuxe