Harold Kelp, the grandson of Professor Julius Kelp, is a young inventor who struggles with his experiments. He is frequently attacked in his visions by his fear, which takes the form of a big, black monster. After encountering an angry mob involved in Harold's bad inventions, Harold is sent away to a science academy run by his grandfather. Upon his arrival, Harold meets a beautiful girl named Polly McGregor and becomes enamoured with her. Wanting to impress her, Harold gets his hands on his grandfather's secret elixir, the Secrets of Love, which he believes will get him girls. He drinks it, unleashing his cooler, hipper alter ego Jack, who causes mischief. Jack starts out popular with the students, but his behavior and ego get out of hand. Also, because of Jack, Harold is failing classes. When he learns of Harold's problem, Julius transforms into Buddy Love to teach Harold to be himself. Later on, Harold's fear is accidentally brought to life by one of Julius' inventions, but he manages to kill it by facing it. Then, Jack says good-bye to Harold and disappears into him, leaving Harold to share a kiss with Polly.
On August 8, 2006, Mainframe Entertainment announced The Weinstein Company acquired the rights to produce an animated version of The Nutty Professor, which was distributed direct-to-video by Genius Products Inc. The film was produced under the working titleThe Nutty Professor 2: Facing the Fear. There are several references to the original film, including the place where Zeke and Ned perform, called "The Pit." In the original film, the nightclub is called "The Purple Pit." The cast includes Danielle Lewis, the daughter of Jerry Lewis, who cameos as the voice of Harold's neighbor, Suzy Perkins.
Reception
The film has received mixed reviews. Common Sense Media gave it a rating of 2/5, saying "Parents need to know that The Nutty Professor -- also called The Nutty Professor II: Facing the Fear -- doesn't have much to do with the Jerry Lewis classic, even though Lewis does provide the voice of Harold's grandfather. There's lots of bullying, and Harold becomes addicted to the chemical formula he develops. The film is less about facing fear than being overwhelmed by terrifying situations -- stick to the original if you're looking for a good movie for kids." Other than that, the film has not received very much attention, and has been sparsely reviewed by critics alike.
