When Eddie Murphy left the confines of his home at Saturday Night Live, he appeared to be embarking on a unstoppable career. With hits like Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours, and Trading Places under his belt, it seemed that the master comedian could do no wrong. Enter the 90's in which Murphy's career began to self destruct with such lackluster efforts as Beverly Hills Cop 3, The Distinguished Gentlemen, and the dismal Vampire in Brooklyn. Things changed for the better, however, when Murphy signed on for a remake of the Jerry Lewis classic The Nutty Professor. With another blockbuster on his hands, a sequel was inevitable.

In Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps, the lovable Sherman Klump is on the verge of creating a youth serum, and even closer to marrying the girl of his dreams played by pop superstar Janet Jackson. Things go haywire when Sherman's alter ego Buddy Love is unleashed and threatens to ruin everything he has worked so hard to build.

With this zany, however inconsistent comedy, Murphy has given what I think is the performance of his career. We once again remember what a brilliant comic-force Murphy can be as he disappears into this colorful array of hilarious characters. There are many moments in this film that are so seamless that you will honestly forget that Murphy is playing nearly every major character. My favorite part of the plot involves Sherman's elderly parents coping with their sex life.

The film was directed at a brisk but not very focused pace by Peter Segal (Naked Gun 33 1/3, Tommy Boy.) He doesn't get much help from his screenwriting team Paul and Chris Weitz (American Pie), Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield (who used to write for Saturday Night Live), who feel compelled to throw everything into the plot but the kitchen sink. There are also far too many flatulence jokes and a ridiculous sequence involving a huge hamster. It's too bad, because the film actually starts off quite well as a sort of restrained Me, Myself and Irene, but as the plot thickens the film seems to lose it's heart.

In the end, it is the endless and inventive energy of Murphy along with the incredible make up effects created by Rick Baker (The Howling) that allow Nutty Professor 2 to rise above the routine screenplay. Along with films like The Patriot, and Gladiator, Nutty Professor 2 is a film that really works because of it's lead actor. With this performance, Murphy is not only hilarious but quite touching as well. Sadly, comic performances are not usually rewarded by the Academy. I think Kevin Kline was the last actor to win for a comedic performance in A Fish Called Wanda. That's a shame, because Murphy has worked hard for this paycheck, and deserves any accolade that comes his way.