The Nutty Professor

1963

1 hr. 47 min.

Comedy

List

82%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Julius Kelp (Jerry Lewis) is a college professor with a problem. Clumsy, awkward, inarticulate and unattractive, Julius is a hopeless case when it comes to women -- but he's desperate to impress beautiful student Stella (Stella Stevens). Fortunately, he does know something about chemistry and decides to concoct a potion that will turn him into a whole new man. In this classic comedy, Julius' suave alter ego, Buddy Love, must win Stella's affections before his short-lived potion runs out.

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Blobbo X

Young Blobbo blown away when saw this. All young boys wanted to be Buddy Love. All young nerds identified with dorky professor who got most beautiful girl. A classic, at least for those lucky enough to have seen this when young.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Erik J

The movie well surpassed my expectations. For some reason I thought it was going to be in black and white- instead the colors in this movie are amazing. And I thought it was going to be a silly, childish plot, but instead it was adult and stylish. And Jerry Lewis's subtle and broad comic touches are terrific! I am glad I finally saw it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

steve d

cheesy and childish.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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dave t

Why is every college kid in their 40s??????

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/06/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Some of the slapstick humor of funny, but a lot of it doesn’t land- comedy has changed. It was impressive how Jerry pulled off the 2 opposite characters.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/13/22

Full Review

William L

Jerry Lewis was, by all accounts, a comic genius. He had such incredible range and capability for sheer goofiness that paved the way for an entire subsequent generation of comedians, and many of his films were totally distinct from what his contemporaries were putting together. However, he also had an unfortunate tendency to take a single premise and stretch it out in a painfully thin manner over the course of an entire feature film in the manner of virtually all SNL skit/movies that would come decades later, and The Nutty Professor is a perfect example of that phenomenon; a fantastic hour long movie that is unfortunately an hour and 45 minutes long, and doesn't present the most well-aged interpretation of a romantic relationship. However, it's impossible to ignore the comedic vision here - Lewis' complete control of his physical comedy, his surprisingly capable vocal range (hey Deano, this stuff isn't so hard!), and a smattering of physical gags that are reminiscent of a live action Looney Tunes (the intense colors, a Porky Pig sendoff, and a great 'collapsed door' gag that's straight Wiley E. Coyote). (2.5/5)

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/18/21

Full Review

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Jerry Lewis

Director

Jerry Lewis

Professor Julius Kelp

Stella Stevens

Stella Purdy

Del Moore

Dr. Hamius R. Warfield

Kathleen Freeman

Millie Lemmon

Med Flory

Football Player

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Noel Murray

The Dissolve

[Jerry] Lewis constructed one of his sturdiest scripts in The Nutty Professor, and he wasted scarcely a minute of it.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 9, 2014

Full Review

Brian Tallerico

UGO

Rated: 3/5

Mar 24, 2007

Full Review

Eric Henderson

Slant Magazine

Contains some of Lewis's most outr directorial flourishes.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 14, 2004

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

What makes it all work is the edge that Lewis brings to the cartoonish psychology of his Jekyll and Hyde pairing: Kelp’s addiction to being Buddy and the sheer social sociopathy of Buddy.

Mar 4, 2023

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

If you see just one Jerry Lewis movie, this should probably be the one.

Rated: B

Aug 30, 2022

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

The catastrophically uncomfortable unraveling, laden with lessons about self-esteem, isn't nearly as fitting or as funny as the setup.

Rated: 5/10

Jan 2, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Julius Kelp (Jerry Lewis) is a college professor with a problem. Clumsy, awkward, inarticulate and unattractive, Julius is a hopeless case when it comes to women -- but he's desperate to impress beautiful student Stella (Stella Stevens). Fortunately, he does know something about chemistry and decides to concoct a potion that will turn him into a whole new man. In this classic comedy, Julius' suave alter ego, Buddy Love, must win Stella's affections before his short-lived potion runs out.

Director: Jerry Lewis
Screenwriter: Jerry Lewis, Bill Richmond
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Jerry Lewis Productions
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013

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