Nutty Professor II: The Klumps does have a plot. It has a premise. And it even has a heart. But all three qualities serve only to set the stage for never-ending fart gags and sex jokes. Here Eddie Murphy reprises his role as Sherman Klump, an overweight genius professor, and his slim and obnoxious alter ego, Buddy Love. The very first scene shows Buddy’s head emerging from Sherman’s unzipped fly after Sherman becomes aroused during a dream sequence. Unfortunately, he never goes away. Sherman tries to rid himself of his distasteful id by extracting bits of errant DNA. He succeeds, but his apparent triumph has disastrous side effects. Buddy morphs into a separate person, and Sherman begins to lose his intelligence (a fate likely to befall those who watch this film as well).
positive elements: One hopes for awhile that Sherman’s struggle to rid himself of his evil side will provide a huge life lesson for teens. Alas, it is not to be. Sherman discovers that to be “whole” he must embrace his dark side rather than sever it. Still, a sliver of positivity exists in that we all need to exercise self-control. Also, Sherman’s colleague and fiancée Denise loves him despite his girth, and assures him that “weight doesn’t matter” to her, but it is his kind heart and keen mind that make him attractive.
spiritual content: Granny Klump fidgets and frowns during a prayer in the first scene, which features Mama Klump singing a gospel hymn in church.
sexual content: Buddy Love is obsessed with breasts, lust and sex. He ogles women, makes lewd gestures and spews foul comments, both in his own body and in Sherman’s. Granny Klump is also obsessed. She talks about intercourse, hires a stripper for Denise’s bridal shower and makes crude jokes about her breasts (several times the cameras focus on her jumping up and down leaving her exaggerated breasts to bounce wildly from her knees to her head). Granny uses a wet noodle to taunt the males in her family about their sexual ineptitude. She also talks about her own sexual fantasies which involve newscaster Stone Phillips. Two dogs are shown mating, prompting Buddy to scream, “work her, work her.” While trapped in the body of a toddler (who is shown running around naked), Buddy boasts that he has an “impressive package” for one so young. He then rips a dress off a woman to reveal her bra. After being reduced to a gelatinous mass, he forms himself into the shape of a hand which makes an obscene gesture.
To top it all off, during an experiment which goes horribly awry, a giant hamster sodomizes Sherman’s boss, Dean Richmond. Several jokes refer back to the act, culminating in a scene that implies that Dean remembers the “encounter” fondly and is considering marrying a hamster because of it. Innuendo and suggestive dialogue are nearly constant. One double entendre uttered by Sherman refers to gay sex.
violent content: Papa Klump dukes it out with a stranger outside a bar. Minor slapstick violence crops up too.
crude or profane language: About 10 s-words cap off a bevy of “mild” profanities, some of which are uttered by Buddy while in the body of the toddler. Numerous rude expressions refer to sexual organs. “A–” is used incessantly.
drug and alcohol content: Buddy smokes a cigar. The Klumps drink wine and champagne on several occasions.
other negative elements: Fat jokes and gross-out humor are out of control. The giant hamster machine-guns pellets of excrement at his human foes. Sherman uses flatulence to propel himself in space during one of his dreams (“the force is strong with you, son”). Papa Klump ignites a restaurant when his explosive gas makes contact with a nearby candle.
conclusion: Some families may deem doses of flatulence and juvenile humor acceptable on occasion. What they should never do, however, is wink at jokes and sight gags about bestiality, sodomy and other sexual perversions. It was depressing for me to sit in a small movie theater at noon, watching moms and dads glibly walk in with their kids (some not a day older than 6) to soak up 110 minutes of twisted Eddie Murphy humor. I’m dismayed that millions of families won’t think twice about going to see Nutty Professor II (the film grossed over $40 million opening weekend). As far as I’m concerned, if only two families saw it, that would be two too many.
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