OK, so it's not the fine art of cinema. It's not even the fine of anything ... but one thing this movie is, and that's hilariously funny.

If you watched Eddie Murphy's original remake of The Nutty Professor, you have to remember the dinner scene where Eddie Murphy plays various members of his own family. This movie sequel is based around that family.

Eddie Murphy reprises his role as Sherman Klump, the brilliant but overweight professor. Janet Jackson plays his bride-to-be. And Eddie plays almost every other role, from his Hyde alter-ego Buddy Love to Grandma Klump, Momma Klump, Daddy Klump and Brother Klump.

In the movie, Sherman Klump has invented a literal fountain of youth, for which a pharmaceutical company will pay millions. He also has the love of Denise (Janet Jackson), the associate professor who helped create the formula. Everything looks perfect for Sherman. However, the infamous Buddy Love threatens to spill out into his life again. Sherman performs a dangerous experiment to get rid of Buddy Love once and for all ... and, of course, his troubles begin again.

Somewhere, in the midst of this story plot, the Klumps come into play, revealing the inner workings of the Klump family: Momma, who tries to keep a family together, the jealous brother, the father who is suffering from stress issues involving work and the bedroom, and the sex-starved grandmother.

The make-up effects alone were visually stunning, and Murphy does a wonderful job playing each role distinctly. However, there is something lacking within the movie despite the hilarious visual puns and jokes.

The plot itself is not tightly woven. The film tries to fit the pieces of the Klump family around another Nutty Professor scenario, which doesn't quite work at times. Pieces of the story kept falling apart, especially towards the end. Another reason could be due to the sad dysfunctional nature of the family. I wondered why anyone would write up such characters who only seem to be obsessed with sex, flatulence and food. Then I remembered the Bundys from Married with Children, and I had to stop wondering. Next to the Bundys, the Klumps are a right fit family!

Ah well ... if you're looking for a comedy and are not expecting too much, this may be the movie for you. If you saw The Nutty Professor and didn't like it, don't see The Klumps. If you want something deep and meaningful, don't see The Klumps. However, if you just want to sit back, let your mind relax from strenuous thinking, then by all means, give them a shot.

[ by Jade Falcon ]