The Nutty Professor (1963)

Last night Azalea was being really hyper and I just wanted her to go to bed.  So I decided to put on a bad movie so she would hear it but not be interested and fall asleep.  And it totally worked.  The movie I chose was The Nutty Professor.  No, no the one with Eddie Murphy being lots of different people.  The one with Jerry Lewis, who believes women can't be funny.  As if he's able to judge.  That would be like me judging a spelling bee.

If you know the story of Jekyll and Hyde, then you already know what is going to happen here.  Jerry Lewis plays Professor Kelp, a caricature of nerdy bumbling professors.  He also has bad teeth that stick out, a bad haircut, and is generally clumsy.  As usual, he keeps crossing his eyes.  I no longer believe this is used for comedy purposes and his eyes are just stuck that way.  Have you ever seen Mr. Deeds?  Steve Buscemi has a lazy eye for comedic effect.  And is that movie on the list?  Of course not.  I know this movie is on the list because it's old.  If a Jerry Lewis style film were to be made today, it would star Adam Sandler or Jim Carrey and the critics would hate it.  Yet several of their films are actually funny.  These kinds of films are the ones I'm not looking to learn anything, I just want to laugh. 

Dude look like SpongeBob Squarepants.  He falls in love with his student, Stella Purdy. (How did she get this name?  Because the actress's name is Stella and she's purdy.  Jerry Lewis is such a clever writer.)  He tries to get in shape which only perpetuates more stupid gags.  The worst is when he goes to the bowling alley without his glasses and bowls down a group of people.  Why is he not wearing glasses?  For that one gag?  That was stupid.

He creates a formula that turns him into Buddy Love, who is stylish for 1960s I guess?  He may be good looking, but he is horribly rude.  The main difference is their voices.  Professor SpongeBob has a nasally sounding voice, while Buddy's is smooth and dark.  When Buddy is singing, sometimes the Professor's voice will pop out.

Buddy is awful and has the attitude of a snowbird.  A snowbird is someone from up north who moves to Florida for the winter.  They are rude and awful.  They make fun of how stupid Southerners are and how great their state is.  It's worse when they officially move down here for good, because they still act the same!   I didn't see Buddy's behavior as over-the-top rude, like it probably was intended,  because this is what I experience every day.  The only thing Floridians hate more than sunburns and our bus system are snowbirds.  Except Paul, he's okay.

Professor Kelp can't control how long he will stay as Buddy, and he returns to normal at the most inopportune times.  At the end, he changes at the prom in front of everyone. (Yes, this is a university and they're having a prom.  Today they are known as formals.)  So he gives this speech about being yourself or whatever.  Then he marries his student.  That part I can't judge because my aunt and uncle are a student and professor who got married.  This movie was so bad.  I didn't like either character but of course he's going to get the hot blonde anyway.  Being an old film does not make it a good film.  I will give it a 4/10.