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Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

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Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
A black family of five stands together in a white background looking at the viewer. Above and below them shows the name of the actor who portrays them, the film's title and production credits.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Segal
Screenplay byBarry W. Blaustein
David Sheffield
Paul Weitz
Chris Weitz
Story bySteve Oedekerk
Barry W. Blaustein
David Sheffield
Based onCharacters
by Jerry Lewis
Bill Richmond
Produced byBrian Grazer
Starring
CinematographyDean Semler
Edited byWilliam Kerr
Music byDavid Newman
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • July 28, 2000 (2000-07-28)
Running time
109 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$84 million[2]
Box office$166.3 million[2]

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps is a 2000 American science fiction comedy film directed by Peter Segal.[3] It is a sequel to the 1996 film The Nutty Professor.

In contrast to the previous film, subplots which are centered on the parents of protagonist Sherman Klump occupy a substantial part of the film. Members of the Klump family, including Sherman's parents, also provide an increased level of comic relief.

Plot

Professor Sherman Klump has created a new de-aging formula. He is also in love with DNA researcher, Denise Gaines, developer of a method to isolate genetic material. Despite his good fortune, Sherman's major problem is his id alter ego, Buddy Love. He is still ingrained inside him and has begun to periodically take control of his body. Starting at Cletus’ retirement dinner, Buddy takes over Sherman’s body and reveals to everyone that Cletus didn’t retire. He actually got laid off. The next day, Denise tells Sherman that she got a phone call offering her a full professorship at the University Of Maine. Denise goes on to tell him that she’s hasn’t taken the job yet because there’s something very important to her at Wellman that she’s unsure if she can leave behind: Sherman. Denise reveals to Sherman that she has feelings for him and that his size doesn’t matter to her. She loves him for him. Sherman tries to propose to Denise but Buddy once again takes over , humiliating Sherman and mortifying Denise.

Determined to be rid of Buddy permanently, and despite his assistant, Jason, warning him of potential consequences, Sherman uses Denise's methodology to isolate and remove the DNA where Buddy has manifested. However, the Buddy genetic material grows into a sentient being when a hair from Jason's Basset Hound, Buster, accidentally lands in it. Sherman apologizes to Denise and proposes to her again and she says yes. Later, Dean Richmond informs them that Phleer Pharmaceuticals has offered Wellman College $150 million for the youth formula.

Sherman and Denise then encounter the newly reformed Buddy at a movie theater. Buddy pickpockets Sherman and learns of the $150 million offer. He subsequently visits the pharmaceutical company, making a rival bid of $149 million with Leanne Guilford, President of Acquisitions, for the youth formula. Sherman learns that the extraction has altered his body chemistry and that he is losing his intelligence. Realizing he needs to keep the youth formula out of Buddy's hands, Sherman stashes it at his parents'.

Sherman's father, Cletus, sexually insulted and frustrated by his mother-in-law, Ida Mae Jensen, regarding his age and impotence, accidentally drinks some of the youth formula. He goes out for a night on the town and attempts to seduce his wife and Sherman's mother, Anna, but she is horrified. Buddy witnesses Cletus changing and realizes that the youth formula is being stored in the Klump household. Meanwhile, Sherman's condition causes him to act like a fool in front of Denise's parents, concerning her.

Buddy steals some of the youth formulae from the Klump household, filling the vial the rest of the way with fertilizer. This sabotage causes chaos at a demonstration the next day as Petey, the male hamster Sherman uses to demonstrate the formula, mutates into a giant monster who humps Richmond as he is trying to escape under a fur coat, as Petey confuses him for Molly, the female hamster that escaped during the event. The humiliated and enraged Richmond fires Sherman, who soon learns from Jason that his brain's deterioration has worsened, so he decides to break up with Denise. While Cletus consoles a depressed Sherman, Sherman realises that, as much as he despises Buddy Love, the two of them must get back together for the sake of the professors health and his intelligence.

Sherman quickly works on a newer, much more potent formula while his mental faculties allow him. Richmond confronts him about Buddy's actions, believing that they are working together. Sherman leaves with Richmond and a tennis ball covered in the youth formula and heads to a presentation at Phleer Pharmaceuticals Buddy is giving about the youth formula. Meanwhile, a worried Denise discovers what has happened and that Sherman's brain damage is progressing. With Cletus' help, Denise goes after him. Sherman takes advantage of the canine DNA crossed with Buddy's and uses the tennis ball to distract him. Buddy catches the ball in his mouth, and the youth formula transforms him back into a glowing mass of sentient genetic material.

Sherman chases the genetic material, intent on drinking it to correct his condition. However, it evaporates on the edge of a fountain before he can. Cletus and Denise arrive too late to save him, and Denise breaks into tears, which hit the genetic material and fall into the fountain. As they go to leave, Sherman looks into the fountain, remarking that it is "pretty". Seeing the water is glowing, Denise realizes the genetic material has reconstituted thanks to her tears and that if Sherman drinks the fountain water, he will be restored to normal. When he drinks it, he is able to restore his intelligence.

Sherman and Denise later get married, while Cletus and Anna reconcile with each other.

Cast

Additionally, Kathleen Freeman makes an uncredited appearance as Denise's neighbor who witnesses Sherman proposing to her. Freeman previously portrayed Millie Lemmon in the original 1963 film.

Music

Main article: Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (soundtrack)

Reception

Box office

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps grossed over $42.5 million in its opening weekend and went on to a total gross of over $123.3 million in the United States. It earned an additional $43 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $166.3 million worldwide.[2]

Critical response

Unlike the first film, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps received unfavorable reviews from critics. Adjectives such as "obnoxious", "lowbrow", "bloated", and "unfunny" cropped up frequently in reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 26% based on reviews from 88 critics. The site's consensus states that "While Eddie Murphy is still hilarious as the entire Klump family, the movie falls apart because of uneven pacing, a poor script, and skits that rely on being gross rather than funny."[4] On Metacritic the film has a score of 38 out of 100, a score that indicates generally unfavorable reviews, based on reviews from 34 critics.[5] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade A− on scale of A to F.[6]

Salon.com's reviewer gave the movie one of its few positive notices, and offered the praise "cheerfully vulgar".[7] The New Yorker's Anthony Lane was particularly severe; in addition to hating the film, he dismissed Murphy's playing of multiple characters as "minstrelling", and charged the actor with "at once feeding us what we like and despising us for swallowing it."[8] Most critics gave a generally negative assessment of the movie with at least a nod towards Murphy's versatility and comic talent.

Roger Ebert gave the film three stars, noting that while it was "raucous" and "scatological," the film overall proved to be "very funny" and "never less than amazing."[9] Variety's Joe Leydon wrote: "Be prepared to laugh less at a lot more of the same thing in this overbearing but underwhelming sequel."[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS (12)". British Board of Film Classification. July 27, 2000. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  3. ^ "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  4. ^ "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  5. ^ "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps". Metacritic.
  6. ^ "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  7. ^ Andrew O'Hehir (July 28, 2000). ""Nutty Professor II: The Klumps"". Salon.com.
  8. ^ Lane, Anthony. The New Yorker, August 7, 2000. The Fat of the Land (subscription required)
  9. ^ Roger Ebert (July 28, 2000). "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps Movie Review (2000)". Chicago Sun-Times.
  10. ^ Leydon, Joe (July 27, 2000). "The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps". Variety.
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