Michael_Elliott The Nutty Professor (1963) *** (out of 4) Professor Kelp (Jerry Lewis) is a giant nerd of a man who is quite weak, gets picked on by even his students and overall he's just nothing to write home about. He decides that enough is enough to he creates a potion and tries it on himself. This turns the nerdy Kelp into the irresistible and cool Buddy Love (Lewis) but pretty soon Kelp learns there's more to a personality than just looks.THE NUTTY PROFESSOR is perhaps the best known and most loved of all of Jerry Lewis comedies that he made after his break-up with Dean Martin. The film has remained a popular film over the decades and it even go ta much loved remake, which I personally think is a mini masterpiece. I first watched this movie a few days after seeing the remake and I thought that this was rather weak in comparison. With that said, after going back and giving the film a second viewing it's easy to see why so many people love it. This version of THE NUTTY PROFESSOR deserves the strong reputation that it has built up over the years.There's no question that the majority of the credit must go to Lewis. Not only did he create two great characters but his strength as an actor pulled both parts off. We all knew he could play someone like Kelp as he had been playing nerds throughout his career but he really brought some warmth and heart to this character unlike any better. Even the Love character is perfectly played by the actor who proved he could play it "straight" and mean. I'm not sure if this character was a wink towards Martin but it was fun. Stella Stevens is also quite easy on the eyes and makes for a good love interest. Richard Kiel makes a quick appearance here and is also memorable.There are many great laughs throughout the entire film and it's really a wonder more people hadn't tries to play the whole Jekyll and Hyde thing. Lewis was apparently very fond of the story as well as the various film versions and it's easy to see why. Lewis manages to take the two roles and turn them into something really special and there's no question that he gets a great number of laughs during the early portion of the film. I do think the film runs out of gas towards the end and the music numbers at the end do stop the film in its tracks. Still, THE NUTTY PROFESSOR has become a classic and it's easy to see why.

jamariana (1) How much do I like it? 2/5. (2) Direction: 3/5. (3) Is the personal style of the director noticeable? Yes, 1/1. (4) Editing: 2/3. (5) Plot/Story: 3/5. (6) Quality of dialogue: 1/3. (7) Originality: 2/3. (8) Level of sophistication: 1/2. (9) Is it good writing? Not really, 0.5/1. (10) Cleverness: 2/3. (11) Memorability/Uniqueness: 2/3. (12) Quality of the ending: 1/2. (13) Quality of characters: 0/2. (14) Is there character development? Not really, 0/1. (15) Do you root for the lead character? Nope, 0/2. (16) Do you care for the lead character? No, 0/2. (17) Act structure, conflict/denouement/etc.: 2/4. (18) Acting: 2/5. (19) Chemistry of the leads: 0/1. (20) Cinematography: 3/4. (21) Style/Art Direction/Wardrobe/Make-up & Hair, etc.: 2/3. (22) Emotion/Experience of watching it/Catharsis: 2/5. (23) Atmosphere, i.e. were you sucked into the film? Not really, 0/1. (24) How well made is it?, i.e. effort clause: 2.5/4. (25) Entertainment value: 1/4. (26) Coolness: 0/2. (27) Would I be OK with dying while watching this? Nah, 0/1. (28) Would I be ashamed to admit I like this? Yes, 0/1. (29) Would I rewatch this? No, 0/1. (30) Soundtrack: 1/2. (31) Sound: 1/1. (32) Do I like it of my own free will? I don't like it, 0/1. (33) Is it one of my favourites? No, 0/1. (34) Did something I like happen? 1/3. (35) Would I recommend this to someone? No, 0/1. (36) Truth to the genre, or first of its kind (trailblazer): 1/2. (37) Is it believable? Or Reasonable? 0/1. (38) Overall quality 3/5.Overall score: 42/85, which is 49% and so a 5/10.

lasttimeisaw American comedian Jerry Lewis' fourth director-cum-co-writer-cum-star vehicle in his solo career, a loopy parody of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where he playfully juggles with the dichotomy between the geeky, bucktoothed, accidental-prone professor Julius Kelp and the raffish, chain-smoking, hipster crooner Buddy Love. What prompts Professor Kelp (Lewis) to undergo a thorough transmogrification is his swooning over his student Stella Purdy (Stevens), who is far out of his league, although no one in his class is even remotely credible to pass for a college freshman, or maybe the 60s simply was not a kind era for adolescents. Thanks to an inexplicable magic potion he manages to confect, with a faint reference to the turning of a hirsute werewolf, Kelp's new-born alter ego, Buddy Love fabulously materializes (introduced by a laboriously arranged reaction long-shot from on-lookers to elicit the anticipation), he is the antithesis of Kelp, and whose rebarbative behaviour has also implausibly escaped from the latter's clutches. But then the grating part emerges, albeit his condescending, offensive and self-serving attitude, this chimney-mouthed slicker is portrayed as a virtuoso show- stopper, and perversely sweeps Stella off her feet (although she does have some reservations but condones to fall for his bad-boy mojo). This male-patronising, female-stereotyping angle, becomes the undoing of a well-intentioned comedy, as in the final speech Buddy/Kelp delivers, we must brave ourselves to embrace who we are, we can always learn to be a better me, but leave the ideal me in that imaginative realm only. The film would be treated with a redux remake starring a multiple-role-playing Eddie Murphy in 1996 with great popularity owing to its staggering make-up magic and special visual effects. It also foreshadow the personality-sea-changing in Jim Carrey's breakthrough stunner THE MASK (1994). Since this broad comedy relies heavily on its star's slapstick, Lewis unstintingly turns it into his own shtick-boasting vehicle, and as obnoxious as Buddy Love is, one has to admit Lewis' protean performance is something to be reckoned with, sometimes he is also evocative of a young Jack Lemmon. Therefore, it barely leaves anything for other players, only Del Moore's prim but showbiz- passionate university president Dr. Warfield can swipe some thunder from Lewis' omnipresence, whereas, Stella Stevens' buxom ingénue is too amicable and souless for her own good, as a corollary of being projected from a parochial and patriarch world-view. In hindsight, the film is a mug's game hindered by its own myopia but survives only for Lewis' comedic knack, when he stays in his nebbish character.

Tilyou1 This Jerry's masterpiece -- his Annie Hall -- the one for the ages that will be re-watched however the rest may (or may not) endure.Jerry-as-professor is a variant on Jerry's usual screen idiot, but with amusing double-talk, and good physical comedy. He also manages to convey real pathos under all the clowning.Jerry's smarmy "Buddy Love" character is surprisingly complicated -- an ass and a bully, but with hints of vulnerability and pathetic drunkenness. "Ain't enough you got the best? You want me to be on-time too?" The character anticipates his "Jerry Langford" in the King of Comedy. It's a self-less performance -- playing an unflattering part very very well. The alluring and wide-eyed Stella Stevens helps too. :)