Parents' Guide to

The Nutty Professor (1963)

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Jerry Lewis' Jekyll-Hyde spoof is dated but great.

Movie NR 1963 107 minutes
The Nutty Professor (1963) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 16+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Villaboy42
Villaboy42 Adult
April 24, 2020
age 16+

Overrated and Hardly Laughed

I have watched many hilarious Lewis movies over the years and vaguely remember watching this on tv back in the 70s. My family have revisited several Martin and Lewis movies recently and having read rave reviews online judging this as a classic. This was so boring and not funny I cant believe it was the movie judged as one of Lewis best. My wife and I kept looking at each other during the viewing with a " this is crap " look. Honestly I think we laughed once or twice and our 12 year old did not enjoy it either although she has laughed out loud with other Lewis movies which prompted me to buy this dvd. If you find this side splitting funny please tell me the scenes because we barely got to the end of the movie without switching off the dvd player. Not funny at all!
Kcanen
Kcanen Adult
July 13, 2018
age 18+

In the words of Jerry Lewis "Nasty ill-mannered, rude, discourteous"

I usually love Jerry Lewis movies, but in my opinion this movie is not for children. The Nutty Professor changes into a, " nasty, ill mannered, rude, discourteous bastard" in the words of Jerry Lewis. He does this an effort to try and make the girl fall in love with him. He bullies and harasses her. I looked on Common Sense Media before renting this movie for my family, but I should have read the reviews. I'm shocked at the CSM review and hope they takes another look at this movie and updates their review so others don't quickly go off their current 4 stars and 8+ age recommendation.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

At a California college, nerdy chemistry professor Julius Kelp (Jerry Lewis) is a genius at brewing dangerous potions but a clumsy weakling in everything else. After being bullied by one of his own students, Kelp wonders if he can secretly formulate a chemical concoction that will grant him strength and assertiveness. Result: bucktoothed, bespectacled Kelp temporarily changes, unrecognizably, into a clubgoing hipster ladies' man, piano-playing crooner, and all-around alpha male who renames himself "Buddy Love." But while hugely popular, this new personality is also sullen, rude, egocentric, hard-drinking, and manipulative. Buddy begins a pushy courtship of a pretty co-ed Stella (Stella Stevens) in Kelp's class, who is both attracted and repulsed by this sharp-dressed, charismatic scoundrel.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (5 ):

Even critics who hate Jerry Lewis movies praise THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, if grudgingly, as a high point for the director-star. In other knockabout comedies, done both with and without comedy partner Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis made a hit with audiences -- especially kids -- by (mis)behaving like a grating, hyperactive child. This film, while delivering a handful of broad slapstick bits, is less frenetic and more thoughtful and character-based, with some surprisingly nuanced psychological insights (compare-contrast with the Eddie Murphy version) as cartoonish Kelp experiences nightlife as the impossibly "cool" and abrasive Buddy Love.

Some commentators interpreted Buddy Love as a venomous caricature of Dean Martin, but it seems more like an on-target spoof on the whole early-60s male ideal of the hip dude, right outta the Rat Pack and the Playboy Mansion. Indeed, close your eyes while Buddy bosses women and insults men and you can imagine Frank Sinatra smugly delivering those same lines (and songs). In 2008 Jerry Lewis lent his voice and characters to a more kid-targeted, computer-generated cartoon sequel-update on DVD, also called The Nutty Professor (rated PG).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way Jerry Lewis twisted The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for surprisingly profound character comedy -- for once the Mr. Hyde equivalent wasn't an apelike goon but a smooth, suave, "swinger" -- not a nice guy but superficially more appealing than Jekyll. Ask young viewers what they think of this movie compared to the later Eddie Murphy remake and its sequel. Do most women really go crazy for the bad-boy "Buddy Love" poseurs of the world or appreciate the Kelps/Klumps?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate