Nutty Professor II - The Klumps

What was the most successful part of the Nutty Professor? You guessed it, the dinner table scene where all the Klumps, aka as one Eddie Murphy, gather together in a special effects laden cack fest. So how does Hollywood capitalise on this? Why, make a sequel that is just that, an extended dinner table scene. Oh, and sprinkle a plot around it, call it a movie, serve with medium popcorn, and a large diet coke - oh, and a boisenberry choc top, only if that commission came through this week.

Sherman (Eddie Murphy), Cletus "Papa" (Eddie Murphy), Anna "Mama" (Eddie Murphy), Ernie (Eddie Murphy), Grandma (Eddie Murphy) and Ernie Jr (Jamal Mixon) all return as the Klumps. Joining the cast this time around is Janet Jackson as Professor Denise Gaines, the resident Sherman love interest and Young Cletus (Eddie Murphy).

Sherman has been working hard on a youth formula to help reverse the aging process but for some reason, the remnants of Buddy Love (Eddie Murphy) are still haunting him. Denise on the other hand has been working on a gene extraction technique and soon Sherman uses her research to remove the Buddy Love genes out of his body. The problem here is that, due to a freak accident and a strand of hair from a dog, Buddy Love is back, with some serious side effects; Woof for Buddy Love and Duh for Sherman Klump. In slighlty more complex English, Buddy Love has the traits of a dog, with some hilarious scenes, whilst Sherman is losing the use of his brain and is becoming dumber by the minute.

"Viagara don't work for me, I've been taking them like M&M's"

Back at home, Cletus is having some problems 'pitching tent'. When Sherman hides his youth formula at home to keep it away from Buddy Love, Cletus makes use of the liquid to cure his affliction and humiliation.

If you enjoyed Eddie Murphys antics in his standup vehicles 'Raw' and 'Delirious', you'll know just how he adds character to his impersonations of his family. He does the same here with each character he portrays. On their own, they almost come across as a high budget stand up show but the basic plot of the movie seems to drag everything else down with it. The special effects here are much more elaborate in terms of compositing all the Klumps on the screen and does make it look as if they do exist as a family rather than Eddie doing his thing. Originality is lost on this one and comes across no more than an extension to the original, a long extension.

According to Paul D's law of "Inverse Atrocity", this DVD looks stunning, by far one of the best looking DVDs released so far. It's not overly rich in color or saturation but the detail here is impeccable, especially in the opening Psychiatrist office with close-ups of Sherman reveals intricate stitching in his suit. From here on, the image retained that level of detail throughout the movie.

WAMO have once again produced a stunning looking DVD that shows up well on both CRT and LCD hardware which is what every DVD should be capable of, including the ones capable of sustaining interest and multiple repeat viewings.

Audio wise, the treatment here is more than adequate for what the movie is trying to be. Dialogue is clear at all times if a little harsh in some instances. The front sound stage delivers a nice wide span of audio. Directionality is limited due to the lack of any real action sequences but ambience is used to good effect when required.

What we do miss out on here is the dts 5.1 soundtrack available in the US but given the material, it's not really necessary at all to warrant it.

Here is where the disc adds a lot more value than a stand alone version of the film would offer. It is also one of the more appropriate collection of extras we've seen in a while. Do we apply Pauls law once again?

A Spotlight on location reveals a 24 minute behind the scenes look at the making of the movie. With interviews of the main cast and crew members, outtakes and discussion of the idea for this movie, this is yet another promotional effort from Universal. What we really want to know here is more about the special effects used and other techniques to make the movie seemless and that HAS been included making it a much more interesting doco.

Extending on this feature are a collection of smaller extras beginning with an extended restaurant scene that is simply hilarious in it's simplicity. This 10 minute scene alone is a testament to Eddies talents and those of the sepecial effects team headed by Rick Baker. A deleted scene where Denise and Sherman fantasise within their new home is of little value. Add to that 2 time-lapsed photography of Eddie Murphy having make-up applied to him to become Cletus and Ernie. It is amazing just how much effort is involved, and patience on Eddies part for that matter.

An audio commentary is provided by director Peter Segal which is sufficient enough to provide tidbits of what was needed to accomplish the more complex scenes. A conversation with director Peter Segal and producer Brian Grazer is simply another commentary that is semi screen specific and finishes abruptly some 24 minutes into the movie and reverts back to the special features menu. Hmm, interesting.

Rounding out the extras is an alternative collection of outtakes that provide a cackle or two, a storyboard to final film comparison of 4 select scenes, a Music Video by Janet Jackson performing "Doesn't Really Matter", Theatrical Trailer, Production Notes and Cast & Crew bio/filmographies all strung together with some midly animated 16x9 menuing system.

This is Eddie Murphy at his impersonating best but a Hollywood script at its predictable simplest. Marrying the 2 together is like eating a toasted vegemite and tomato sandwhich; Sure you'll enjoy them on their own somehow but together they just don't gel. Someone needs to release a double disc of Raw and Delirious so we can appreciate Eddie at his best because this sequel, and I'm assuming Dr Dolittle 2 will be the same, are just beating a dead horse.

Gunigugu!