The Nutty Professor (1996)

Grossly overweight yet good-hearted professor Sherman Klump takes a special chemical that turns him into the slim but obnoxious Buddy Love.

Director:

Tom Shadyac

Writers:

Jerry Lewis, Bill Richmond

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Coburn

Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Murphy	...	Sherman Klump / Buddy Love / Lance Perkins / Papa Klump / Mama Klump / Grandma Klump / Ernie Klump
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Carla Purty (as Jada Pinkett)
James Coburn	...	Harlan Hartley
Larry Miller	...	Dean Richmond
Dave Chappelle	...	Reggie Warrington
John Ales	...	Jason
Patricia Wilson	...	Dean's Secretary
Jamal Mixon	...	Ernie Klump Jr.
Nichole McAuley	...	Fit Woman
Hamilton von Watts	...	Health Instructor (as Hamilton Von Watts)
Chao Li Chi	...	Asian Man (as Chao-Li Chi)
Tony Carlin	...	Host
Quinn Duffy	...	Bartender
Montell Jordan	...	Self
Doug Williams	...	Band Leader

Storyline

Brilliant and obese scientist Sherman Klump invents a miraculous weight-loss solution. After a date with chemistry student Carla Purty goes badly, a depressed Klump tries the solution on himself. Though he instantly loses 250 pounds, the side effects include a second personality: an obnoxiously self-assertive braggart who calls himself Buddy Love. Buddy proves to be more popular than Sherman, but his arrogance and bad behavior quickly spiral out of control.

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Plot Keywords:

overweight | scientist | teacher | fat insult | split personality | 

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Taglines:

Inside Sherman Klump, a party animal is about to break out.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for crude humor and sexual references

Did You Know?

Trivia

The family scene was nearly cut out of the final film due to lack of relevance with the film's plot. However, the Klump family turned out to be one of the most popular elements of the film, so much that the Klumps got a greatly expanded presence in the sequel, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000).

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Goofs

When Buddy and Miss Purdy go to Scream for the first time, it appears that their table is almost directly opposite the front of the stage. When Buddy later plays the piano on stage and sings to Miss Purdy, he is facing to the left of stage (ie. not in her direction). If he wanted to face her while playing the piano, his head should be turned to his right rather than looking straight ahead.

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Quotes

Buddy Love: What's wrong with that breath? I can smell it over here! Reggie, your breath is so stinky, people look forward to your farts. Breath smells like shit! Do you smell shit?
[sniffs]
Buddy Love: I SMELL SHIT!

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Crazy Credits

During the credits, outtakes are shown.

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Alternate Versions

When Sherman Klump opens the drawer in his desk and reveals the secret compartment containing all the candy, there is a row of 'Snickers' bars on the top. In some T.V. versions, at least in the UK, the word 'Snickers' is digitally altered to 'Chocky'.

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Connections

Referenced in Z Nation: Frenemies (2017)

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Soundtracks

Close the Door
Written by Kenny Gamble (as Kenneth Gamble) and Leon Huff
Performed by Teddy Pendergrass
Courtesy of Gamble/Huff Productions and International Records

User Reviews

Murphy hilarious in all seven of his characters.

*** 1/2

Starring: Eddie Murphy (x 7), Jada Pinkett Smith, and Larry Miller.

An obese college professor starts to fall for a pretty teacher. He doesn't think that people will like him if he was fat, so he uses a weight-losing potion he created on himself. It works perfectly, and the professor is extremely thin. Now, people treat him differently than when he was fat. But he soon finds out that the "thin" side of him has a mind of its own and is looking to get rid of the "plump" side forever.

Murphy does excellent in all seven roles that are given to him. The scene(s) that really make it funny are the dinner ones. I will say that on a low note, Buddy is a little over the top.

I highly recommend it.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Universal Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 June 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Nutty Professor

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$54,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,411,725, 30 June 1996

Gross USA:

$128,814,019

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$273,961,019

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS DTS-Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1