The Nutty Professor (2008 film)
The Nutty Professor: Facing the Fear (also known as The Nutty Professor or The Nutty Professor II) is a 2008 American-Canadian computer-animated comedy sequel to the 1963 Jerry Lewis comedy of the same name and based on the story Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, produced by Rainmaker Entertainment and The Weinstein Company and distributed by Genius Products. Lewis reprises his role of Julius Kelp and produces the film. Drake Bell plays the voice of Harold Kelp, Julius's grandson.
| The Nutty Professor: Facing the Fear | |
|---|---|
 Official release cover artwork | |
| Directed by | Logan McPherson Paul Taylor |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Evan Spiliotopoulos |
| Starring | Jerry Lewis Drake Bell Andrew Francis Britt Irvin |
| Music by | Mike Shields |
| Edited by |
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Production company | |
| Distributed by | Genius Products |
Release date |
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Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United States Canada |
| Language | English |
The film bears no relation to the Eddie Murphy series of comedies that Lewis also produced.
Plot
Harold Kelp, the grandson of Professor Julius Kelp, is a young inventor who struggles with his experiments. He is frequently attacked in his visions by his fear, which takes the form of a big, black monster. After encountering an angry mob involved in Harold's bad inventions, Harold is sent away to a science academy run by his grandfather.
Upon his arrival, Harold meets a beautiful girl named Polly McGregor and becomes enamoured with her. Wanting to impress her, Harold gets his hands on his grandfather's secret elixir, the Secrets of Love, which he believes will get him girls. He drinks it, unleashing his cooler, hipper alter ego Jack, who causes mischief.
Jack starts out popular with the students, but his behavior and ego get out of hand. Also, because of Jack, Harold is failing classes. When he learns of Harold's problem, Julius transforms into Buddy Love to teach Harold to be himself. Later on, Harold's fear is accidentally brought to life by one of Julius' inventions, but he manages to kill it by facing it.
Then, Jack says good-bye to Harold and disappears into him, leaving Harold to share a kiss with Polly.
Voice cast
- Drake Bell as Harold Kelp/Jack
- Jerry Lewis as Prof. Julius Kelp/Buddy Love
- Tabitha St. Germain as Robin
- Britt Irvin as Polly McGregor
- Logan McPherson as Zeke/Waiter/Fear/Ned
- Andrew Francis as Brad/Tad
- Brian Drummond as Dean Von Wu
- Danielle Lewis as Suzy Perkins
Production
On August 8, 2006, Mainframe Entertainment announced The Weinstein Company acquired the rights to produce an animated version of The Nutty Professor, which was distributed direct-to-video by Genius Products Inc.[1] The film was produced under the working title The Nutty Professor 2: Facing the Fear.
There are several references to the original film, including the place where Zeke and Ned perform, called "The Pit." In the original film, the nightclub is called "The Purple Pit." The cast includes Danielle Lewis, the daughter of Jerry Lewis, who cameos as the voice of Harold's neighbor, Suzy Perkins.
Reception
The film has received mixed reviews. Common Sense Media gave it a rating of 2/5, saying "Parents need to know that The Nutty Professor -- also called The Nutty Professor II: Facing the Fear -- doesn't have much to do with the Jerry Lewis classic, even though Lewis does provide the voice of Harold's grandfather. There's lots of bullying, and Harold becomes addicted to the chemical formula he develops. The film is less about facing fear than being overwhelmed by terrifying situations -- stick to the original if you're looking for a good movie for kids.[2]" Other than that, the film has not received very much attention, and has been sparsely reviewed by critics alike.
References
- "The Nutty Professor - Movie Review". Commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved 2016-12-07.