A timid, nearsighted chemistry teacher discovers a magical potion that can transform him into a suave and handsome Romeo. The Jekyll and Hyde game works well enough until the concoction starts to wear off at the most embarrassing times.
Similar titles
You May Also Like
Reviews
Save your money for something good and enjoyable
Lack of good storyline.
Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
This film changed for me after I read "King of Comedy: The Life and Art Of Jerry Lewis" by Shawn Levy. Conventional wisdom at the time about this Jekyll and Hyde story about timid Prof. Julius Kelp creating a formula that turns him into brash ladies man Buddy Love is that Lewis was making a dig at his old comedy partner, Dean Martin. Levy posits that Lewis was not making a film mocking the behavior of Martin but was in actuality condemning (and apologizing for) his own real-life off-screen behavior as a loud-mouth, self-centered, know-it-all. SPOILER ALERT! At the end of the film, when timid Kelp apologizes to everyone for his behavior as Buddy Love and says, "I think that the lesson that I learned came just in time. I don't want to be something that I'm not. I didn't like being someone else. At the same time I'm very glad I was cause I found out something that I never knew. You might as well like yourself. Just think about all the time you're going to have to spend with you. And if you don't think too much of yourself, how do you expect others to?" This was Lewis making a extremely personal and candid confession about himself under the guise of Kelp, and re-watching this film knowing Lewis' personal history, this scene is utterly heartbreaking to watch. Most of Lewis' films have a tendency to get overly sappy and maudlin, but the sappiness in this film really works for me and which is why this is my favorite Lewis film. Additionally, the comedy is funnier than most of Lewis' films, which I usually find funny in kind of an odd clinical if not genuinely funny way. It's as if he's presenting a formula for how to make a comedy, which seems to work, but for whatever reason often seems forced and not consistently funny. But with "The Nutty Professor" it all works and I believe Lewis created a American film classic. Oh, and the one scene where Lewis is lifting weights and his arms get stretched out made my mind explode as a kid.
This classic movie from Jerry Lewis co-written by Bill Richmond and himself is an interesting and funny story but also a window into the Jerry Lewis mind during the height of his popularity as a solo performer. Lewis plays Professor Julius Kelp, a brilliant but bumbling, stumbling, and stuttering scientist who creates an alter ego, Buddy Love, to help him overcome his perceived inadequacies. Trying to distinguish the two and figure out whether they are really the same person is Stella Purdy, played by Stella Stevens, who becomes the object of Jerry Lewis' affections on and reportedly off-screen as well. The film shows the transformation of Kelp from wuss to playboy as a result of a formula he develops in his lab. You have to suspend some disbelief that nobody can figure out the difference between the two just from essentially no glasses and a new hairdo and clothes. Although Lewis makes the voice the ultimate disguise to distract from the obvious similarities. I did end up wondering how much of Lewis' real personality was on display between Professor Kelp and Buddy Love. Probably a lot. The film is visually stunning, with an incredible array of vibrant colors in the backdrops and sets, as well as Stevens' wardrobe. The film has plenty of laughs from the pratfalls and sight gags. Not a lot of sophisticated, witty banter but is that really what you come for in a Jerry Lewis movie? I won't give you the moral of the story but you can probably figure it out for yourself. Some things seem dated but it is very much a sit back, relax, and enjoy the show type of movie even today.
Comic actor Jerry Lewis draws inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for his crazy fantasy The Nutty Professor, in which the star plays a nerdish chemistry professor, Julius Kelp, who invents a formula that transforms him into the debonair yet rather despicable Buddy Love, a cool cat who is hip with the kids at jazz club The Purple Pit, but who has a particular eye for blonde student Stella Purdy (played by the stunning Stella Stevens).A little less slapstick than Lewis's previous work, The Nutty Professor teaches a valuable lesson about being comfortable with who you really are, while at the same time providing plenty of giggles as Buddy's personality frequently collides with Kelp's at the most inopportune of moments. Even those unable to recognise the genius of Lewis in his other movies surely cannot deny the brilliance of the performers' work in this instance—how he effortlessly switches between Kelp and Love, bringing pathos to his role as well as humour.Also making The Nutty Professor a delight to behold are the wonderful production design, which is infused with bright colours throughout, and the the excellent jazzy soundtrack, which helps to keep the action swinging along.
Amusing and spasmodic comedy with the genius comic Jerry Lewis by relinquishing creative control and concentrating on the humor more than the fright , skilfully combining the entertainment with the amusement . To improve his social life, a nerdish , mild-mannered professor (Jerry Lewis who wrote seven scripts for the film by himself and two with Bill Richmond) drinks a potion that temporarily turns him into the handsome , but obnoxious, Buddy Love , a wicked impersonation of his old pal (though Lewis has repeatedly denied is a Dean Martin parody , but the proof is quite strong) .Enjoyable film with characters genuine and sympathetic , it is plenty of humor , tongue-in-cheek , side-splitting sight gags and amusement . Jerry Lewis is top-notch playing a double role as the timid , meek professor turned into a dashing debonair , slim playboy type with an irresistible attraction . It was widely believed at the time that the Nutty Professor's sleazy alter ego, Buddy Love, was a satirical swipe at Jerry Lewis's longtime partner, Dean Martin . The picture results to be a parody and comic variation based on the classic novel ¨Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde¨ by Robert Louis Stevenson . According to one of the trailers for this film, Jerry Lewis urges you to see this picture from the beginning, on penalty of losing your popcorn privileges , this spoofs Alfred Hitchcock's dictum that Psycho had to be seen from the beginning and his insistence that no latecomers be seated . In the co-starring role stands out Stella Stevens , surely the most gorgeous girl any professor ever had . Furthermore , watch rapidly to Henry Gibson in his film debut , Richard Kiel , Celeste Yarnall , and William Smith . The motion picture was produced by , directed by , and starred by Jerry Lewis , at his best . Colorful and shimmer cinematography in Technicolor by Walter Kelley . Catching musical score by Walter Scharf , including various songs sung by Jerry Lewis and special intervention of Les Brown orchestra directed by Les Brown . It's remade in 1996 as ¨Nutty professor¨ by Tom Shadyac with Jada Pinkett Smith and Edddie Murphy who takes a swig of his own secret formula and is transformed into the suave buddy ; and its sequel (2000) by Peter Segal again with Eddie Murphy and Janet Jackson .