Eddie Murphy works overtime as The Klumps

By Joel Siegel

July 28 I never thought Id be calling an Eddie Murphy film one with foul language, where someone sets a restaurant on fire by passing gas and here a giant hamster uses projectile defecation as a deadly weapon restrained.

But compared to similar moments in Big Mommas House, Scary Movie and, especially, Me, Myself and Irene, Nutty Professor II is Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, with Eddie Murphy starring as Rebecca, the brook and the farm.

Murphy plays six parts in this film: Sherman Klump, the nutty prof himself, and Shermans mom, dad, brother and grand mother, as well as Shermans alter ego, the evil Buddy Love. Murphy spent three to five hours getting into make-up for each character. The characters all interact, as in walking, talking and touching. There is one scene at an all-you-can-eat restaurant (where the gas fire takes place) that took an entire week to shoot. It is virtually seamless: Murphy talking to Murphy, insulting Murphy, grabbing food off of Murphys plate, etc.

It is also very funny. The funniest scenes in the film, however, are of the Mad Magazine scenes wed like to see variety: Sherman as a gas-powered astronaut in a Star Wars-meets-Armageddon parody and Granny acting out a love fantasy with Murphy as Buddy Love (the only character who didnt require any make-up, by the way when they made the film, they shot Buddy Loves scenes on Wednesdays to give Eddie Murphys face a rest from the foam and glue and fat-suits).

There is a plot here. Sherman is doing serious DNA research when he discovers a youth serum. The very funny Larry Miller, back as the Wellman College dean, sells the drug for hundreds of millions. Buddy Love steals it. Thats the plot. Meanwhile, Sherman has fallen in love with fellow prof Janet Jackson. Buddy Love tries to steal her, too, and thats the story. Its also my one problem with the film.

Janet Jackson does a very good job here, but the film has a Cinderella ending (and if you know what Sherman Klump looks like, in this Cinderella ending she marries the pumpkin). I was waiting to be levitated with laughter, and though I laughed big and laughed hard, that transcendent, lose-yourself laughter just never happened. But yes, its funny. Much funnier than the first, which I didnt care for, and a much better movie than Big Mommas House. Murphy, unlike Martin Lawrence, is an excellent actor. He not only gets made-up to look like six different characters; he actually becomes them. But Im afraid that doing that kind of shooting where the lighting has to match perfectly, marks have to be hit exactly and dialogue has to be followed to the letter costs Murphy his spontaneity. Murphy really deserved at least one and maybe two Oscar nominations for the characters he played in Bowfinger. Hes not that good here this isnt that fine or that serious a comedy, though it will be a much bigger hit. The film ends with a series of outtakes. Dont bother to stick around for em. The jokes they use in the movie are much funnier, and thats a compliment.

Rating: B+