Eddie Murphy dons a fat-suit for the majority of The Nutty Professor so that his affable character, Sherman Klump, can transform into the svelte but arrogant Buddy Love with the aid of Klump s secret formula. Klump, who has been obese his entire life, is tired of his extra pounds and, besides, it s hard to attract women when you re shaped like a beach ball. One woman in particular, fellow professor Carla Purty (Jada Pinkett), has caught Klump s eye and he feels that the only way to snare her is as the irrepressible Buddy Love. Whether or not he will ever realize that a person s true worth is on the inside not the outside remains to be seen.
In The Nutty Professor , Murphy amazes more with his acting ability than his ability to amuse. Playing no fewer than seven roles in the film, including all of his immediate family, he skillfully creates distinctive personas for each of his characters. Although the laughs are small and infrequent in the film, this re-make of the Jerry Lewis classic (?) is a competent comedy.