[ Publications | Department | Projects | CIIJ
Way New News | Internet | SF State | Server ]
In this remake of Jerry Lewis' 1963 comedy of the same
name, a new twist is added. The main character, Professor
Klump (Eddie Murphy) is fat. Not only is he fat, he's
insecure, clumsy, and rather dense when it comes to
anything other than chemistry. To combat his obesity,
he develops a potion which can alter DNA in fat cells.
And so occurs the birth of Klump's alter ego Buddy
Love, the suave, debonair ladies' man who proclaims,
"I can see my dick now."
Buddy embodies all the qualities Klump longs for, after all, he's thin.
However, not only does Klump have no control over when the potion wears off, but Buddy Love also happens to be a raging bucket of hormones. Predictably, he manages to attract the attention of Carla Purdy, his new colleague (Jada Pinkett) and object of Klump's undying affection.
Purdy is reminiscent of another offensive portrayal, that of women. Not only is the script riddled with sophomoric fat jokes, but "bitch" is the word of the hour. Purdy appears to be a respectable woman, however other women in the movie are brainless, bra-less bimbos (ala Kelly Bundy), who enjoy being treated like crap. That is not surprising since most women in Eddie Murphy movies are portrayed as such.
Murphy also plays five other roles in the movie, four family members and fitness guru Richard Simmons. His four family members serve no other purpose other than to perpetuate crude, stereotypes. Much like Martin Lawrence's humor, covert racist stereotypes are used as punch lines. Not only does that get old very quickly and lack any originality, but it is also extremely offensive. The African-American family is portrayed as loud, obnoxious, and crude -- unrefined within all realms. Grandma rambles loudly of her past sexual conquests (rather explicitly) in front of guest Carla Purdy as the others proceed to engage in a farting festival at the table. The Nutty Professor makes sure typical stereotypes are alive and well.
More fear-evoking than all else is the message this film conveys to children. Little girls aside (they should be used to it, they're bombarded with pride-robbing images everyday), what happens to that one little fat kid in the third-grade who already sits by himself everyday?
This film shows children that to be fat is to be a walking, breathing, living joke. Yes, Professor Klump does have a revelation at the end of the movie. However, a five minute moral does not remedy an hour and a half of constant fat jokes. Children will not remember Klump's awe-inspiring endnote, however they will remember to ostracize that one little fat kid.