"The Nutty Professor" was the first Jerry Lewis film I ever saw, back in the mid 1990s on TV. Then I saw it again on DVD last year. My opinion hasn't changed. Once you've seen Jerry Lewis in action, you never forget it. He is one of these comedians who you either like or loathe. His style is of an aquired taste and "The Nutty Professor" is no exception. I had a hard time maintaining interest in the film. At a 107 minutes, the story isn't strong enough to last that long. At least 20 minutes should have been edited. Lewis can be incredibly irritating with all his mugging and childish performing. His role as the professor bears this out. As the alter ego Buddy Love, he isn't much better. There are a few positive things: Kathleen Freeman does well, even though she hasn't a lot of screen time. A couple of classroom scenes and the one at the gymnasium are okay but that's about all. At his worst, Jerry Lewis is about as amusing as having a bad cold while stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of a heatwave!
Review of The Nutty Professor
