How much Eddie Murphy is too much?
This is a question that has plagued mankind for two decades. Sure, he's a funny, talented comic, able to leap from character to character without batting an eye, but at what point do we cry 'enough is enough! No more Eddie!'
While he's always dipped into the skin of more than one character in films such as Coming to America and Bowfinger, his piece de resistance is unquestionably The Nutty Professor. Now, Eddie has brought Professor Klump back, as well as Klump's entire family and entourage in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.
But is it more Eddie than we can bear?
Eddie plays six characters that I can think of right away, but he has probably snuck in one or two more places without telling me. He plays six characters, many with their own storyline and character arc! Sherman is dealing with his formula and his bride to be, Buddy wants to steal the formula, Mom and Pop are having issues, Grandma is far too horny for her own good, and Brother Klump is busy being just plain dumb. But when you take all of the characters out and just remember that it's all Eddie, the movie gets really, really weird.
Tender love moments between Eddie and Himself. Eddie trying to seduce Eddie, though Eddie's horrified at the thought. Eddie running around trying to drink Eddie with a straw. Eddie giving Eddie advice on how to deal with Eddie. Eddie being completely disgusted at Eddie's voracious sex life. And of course the family meal where Eddie gets in an argument with Eddie and Eddie, trying to smooth things over, accidentally upsets Eddie even more than Eddie already did.
I think the man needs some serious therapy.
One wonders why they bothered to cast other actors at all. Sure Janet Jackson is sweet as the sweet young love interest for Eddie, but couldn't Eddie have been his own sweet young love interest? And Larry Miller, as the balding white Dean of the University wasn't really needed. Eddie could have played the balding white man just as easily as Larry.
However, this movie isn't all about Eddie.
It's also about sex jokes and fart jokes.
Dogs hump dogs. Hamsters hump hamsters. Hamsters hump people. There's a lot of indiscriminant humping going on in this movie. And there's a lot of farting. Some of the farting saves the world. Some of it tosses goo around the room. Some of it just happens for no reason other than Eddie's love of the fart.
Story? Huh. Sherman Klump wants marry Janet (Miss Jackson if you're nasty) But he gets uncontrollable urges from Buddy Love, deep in his psyche. So he extracts the Buddy Love DNA from his body and goes on with life. Naturally, Buddy Love comes to life. I'm not exactly sure how, it's not important. Meanwhile Sherman and Miss Jackson (I'm nasty) have created the fountain of youth. And then there are all the subplots for the Klump family, but they're not important, just excuses for Eddie to play dress-up and fart.
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps gets 2 1/2 Babylons. When all is said and done, this is a below-average movie, but not a lost effort. There are moments where you will laugh out loud. Many of those moments will have you embarrassed to be laughing at what you're laughing at. It is low brow humor with not quite as much heart as the first movie.
Basically, it's about one Klump too many.
Just so you know, it took me twice as long to edit this review, since the SMC had made so many grammatical errors it was practically unreadable. I believe that seeing this movie made the SMC's IQ drop at least 20 points, and he doesn't have much more to spare.
Nutty Professor Ii: the Klumps
Rated: PG-13
Directed By: Peter Segal
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy, Janet Jackson, Eddie Murphy, Eddie
Murphy, Larry Miller, Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy and a love-sick hamster.