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The Nutty Professor
Metascore
62 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    83
    More than just a walking fat joke, Sherman Klump is Eddie Murphy's winking rebuke of his own arrogance.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    80
    Tasteful, subtle and sophisticated are a few of the words that aren't going to be applied to Eddie Murphy's version of The Nutty Professor. But funny, funny is something else again.
  3. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: Allison Samuels
    80
    Directed by Tom Shadyac ("Ace Ventura"), it's nearly sociopathic in its quest for laughs, and busts a very big gut.
  4. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Schickel
    80
    Murphy, abetted by director Tom Shadyac and a whole raft of writers, cannot entirely escape the curious blend of aspiration and sloppiness that marked the earlier film.
  5. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    75
    Eddie Murphy is funny again. Sadly, he lacks the guts to follow through on the cathartic self-satire that gives the film its distinction.
  6. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    And the movie succeeds in two different ways: It's sweet and good-hearted, and then again it's raucous slapstick and bathroom humor. I liked both parts.
  7. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    75
    But it does mine Murphy's gifts, and the payoff is both nutty and funny. Sometimes even touching, too. [28Jun1996 Pg.01.D]
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  8. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Kevin McManus
    70
    This is good, seamless comedy, even if it's not terribly sophisticated.
  9. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Rita Kempley
    70
    Murphy owes much of his success to the amazing special-effects makeup by Rick Baker ("An American Werewolf in London"), but he brings a tenderness and dignity to the performance that he has never shown before.
  10. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    70
    Without ever posing a serious challenge to the original, the new Nutty Professor is much more respectful of its source and funnier than I'd anticipated.
  11. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff(not credited)
    63
    This remake of Jerry Lewis's 1963 Jekyll and Hyde comedy is slackly directed and overloaded with flatulence jokes.
  12. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    63
    The Nutty Professor aims for guffaws at the lowest level -- anyone with a double-digit IQ will get every joke. Whether you laugh at them or not is often more of a matter of taste than a question of having a sense of humor.
  13. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    63
    Not that The Nutty Professor should ever be confused with a good movie, but it is a perfect vehicle for the redisplay of Murphy's neglected talents, steering him away from the smug persona of his recent disasters and whisking him back to the cozy locale of his Saturday Night Live roots.
  14. Empire
    Reviewed by: Angie Errigo
    60
    Occasionally irritating farce but inventive and boasting an endearing as well as laugh-out-loud performance from Murphy in and out of fat suit.
  15. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Elvis Mitchell
    60
    Mr. Murphy proves himself a surprisingly strong actor here, playing Sherman with sweetness and poignancy, not to mention loads of funny weight-related humor.
  16. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    50
    Murphy is wonderful -- I wouldn't begrudge him an Oscar nomination -- but The Nutty Professor is a mess.
  17. San Francisco Examiner
    Reviewed by: Barbara Shulgasser
    50
    Be that as it may, the movie offers the uplifting news bulletin that life is not about being happy with how much you weigh but with what kind of person you are. This is where the movie starts getting sloppy.
  18. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    50
    Arguably better than the last five Eddie Murphy films taken together, The Nutty Professor still seems to be playing down to its audience much of the time, though you'd never know it to hear the gales of laughter erupting at the screening I attended.
  19. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    50
    Eddie Murphy has impressive energy, but he needs mountains of makeup and special effects to accomplish what Jerry Lewis did with sheer talent in the original 1963 version of the comedy.
  20. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Maria Schneider
    40
    The film is otherwise plastic; the supporting players stink and a few too many fart jokes exist where wit belonged.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. TheNewSpielberg
    4
    A silly and over the top remake of the 1963 classic, Eddie Murphy stars as Sherman Klump, a man who is battling his own weight problems. He forms a cliche romantic relationship with a chemistry teacher named Carla Purty. One night, after having a horrific nightmare, he goes to the lab and creates a serum that enables him to become thin and muscular. However, his alter ego is both a blessing and a curse. Overall, a bad script makes the story boring. One of the only reasons to watch this mess is all the fantastic multi-roles played by Murphy, the highlight being Klump's mother, father, grandmother, nephew and brother. Another great gimmick are the mindblowing special effects by makeup supreme Rick Baker. Oh, and also a funny but mean theatrical outing as Buddy Love. The music is mostly 90s pop songs, but I like old music so what the hell. In other words, funny for the most part but generally just another big budget remake that was s**t out by Hollywood.… Full Review »
  2. GenuineOpinion
    10
    I disagree with TheNewSpielberg. I felt this movie was very hilarious, and well executed. Why does my review need to be at least 150 characters long?
  3. Zilcell
    8
    There are nonstop laughs and Eddie Murphy gives great performances for all of the 5 or 6 roles that he takes. The humor is simply spot-on in this comedy.… Full Review »
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