Nutty Professor, The MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +2 Content: -2

Eddie Murphy's remake of the 1963 Jerry Lewis film, like the original, is a comedy take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Sherman Klump (Murphy), a college chemistry professor, is a giant of a man literally. In impolite terms, he's fat. But he's working on a formula to change the body's fat-producing genes to slim. When attractive graduate student Carla Purdy (Jada Pinkett) accepts a date, Sherman tries every diet combination, from acupuncture and aerobics to starvation. In desperation he tries his formula on himself and is transformed into slim Buddy Love. But the formula unexpectedly wears off, causing embarrassing moments and necessitating quick getaways. Carla likes Sherman but has a love/hate relationship with the testosterone-driven Buddy. This split personality also has a mind of his own and wants to get rid of Sherman. Special effects and amazing makeup jobs provide a few laughs but do not really improve on Jerry Lewis' quintessential performance. Like Coca-Cola, the original formula has better taste.

Much of the so-called humor is driven by caricature and insults of fat people. Sherman's family, all overweight and all played by Murphy, makes crude body references and seem to delight in burping and passing gas. In a dream, Sherman imagines he's grown to building size and a catastrophe occurs when he passes gas. Murphy's foul language is scaled down for the PG-13 rating, but the script manages to use a lot of crude and obscene words and profanities. When Sherman is the subject of a comedian's fat insults, Buddy ends up throwing the comedian into a grand piano. Otherwise, the violence is limited to a few punches and slaps. Sherman and Buddy fight for control of his body, as he grabs himself by the throat and punches himself. Although there's no sexual intercourse, there are numerous sexual references. A girl smiles when a hamster crawls up a boy's pants leg and jumps around his crotch. Sherman, speaking scientifically, makes a comment about the size of hamster genitals. There is a discussion about the formula increasing testosterone levels, which makes Buddy sexually directed. He makes suggestive comments to Carla and propositions three women at a hotel. After Buddy throws a party, Sherman wakes with the girls in his bed. Buddy drives a car with a suggestive license plate. Even with the noble themes be happy with yourself, natural dieting is best the crude jokes and sexual comments overshadow THE NUTTY PROFESSORs better intentions.

Preview Reviewer: John Evans
Distributor: Universal Pictures, 100 Universal Blvd., Universal City, CA 91608