Eddie Murphy fans ‘cringing’ after rewatching The Nutty Professor

Eddie Murphy's films were considered the pinnacle when it came to oddball comedy in the 1980s and 1990s.

Fondly remembered films of his include Coming To America, Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cops and Dr Dolittle. However, not all of Murphy's films are being judged to have stood the test of time.

Universal Pictures

Some film fans took to Reddit to air their grievances with Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps.

The 2000 sequel to the 1996 flick follows Murphy in the role of Professor Sherman Klump, the overweight university lecturer.

In the first film, Klump takes a miraculous weight-loss pharmaceutical to win over the woman of his dreams.

Instead, an obnoxious alter-ego called Buddy is born and chaotic hilarity ensues.

With the film netting a nice profit of $200 million, a sequel was inevitable.

In the follow-up, Klump is joined by his eccentric family - Papa Cletus Klump, Young Papa Cletus Klump, Ernie Klump Sr., Mama Anna Klump and Grandma Ida Jenson.

Oh yeah, did I mention they were all played by Murphy himself? That's a lot of Eddie Murphy for anybody.

And some viewers weren't feeling the film.

One wrote: "I rewatched them both recently and I wouldn’t say it’s the worst comedy sequel, but it’s up there.

"The scene where Buddy turns into a baby and then makes a joke about his penis made me cringe harder than I ever have. At least the restaurant scene is hilarious."

I don't reckon any of that would sound better if you had watched the film.

Another Reddit user commented: "The Nutty Professor franchise... Eddie Murphy playing a whole family of characters in fat suits.

"My boyfriend tried to play it last year and I cringed for the first 10 minutes before shutting it off."

Universal Pictures

Over on Twitter, a user wrote: "I don't know why I'm watching The Nutty Professor but I'm laughing just as much as I am** cringing**."

Reviews over on Rotten Tomatoes could be just as scathing, with one writing: "Another inferior sequel from Murphy and one of his most annoying films. Every joke is over cooked and this film is a mess.

"Even Murphy fans will get indigestion from watching this!"

Hopefully Murphy's fans will be more receptive to a new entry to the Shrek franchise.

A fifth entry in the Shrek franchise is reportedly in the works, and Murphy had previously expressed interest in starring in a spin-off featuring his character Donkey.

When asked about playing the motor-mouthed mule again, Murphy said: "If [DreamWorks] ever came with another Shrek, I’d do it in two seconds.

"I love Donkey. They did Puss in Boots movies. I was like, ‘They should have done a Donkey movie.’ Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t funny as the Donkey."

Topics: Eddie Murphy, TV and Film

Ben Thompson