Don't eat or drink anything during the first five minutes of the picture. You might choke when you see the uproarious nightmare professor Sherman Klump has about former nemesis Buddy Love. (I won't give away the laugh except to say that Buddy makes a ...surprise...appearance at Sherman's dream wedding after the groom peeks at his bride's cleavage.) Back in the real world, Sherman is basking in the glory of his scientific discovery from the original film. He teaches classes and romances a gorgeous prof named Denise (Janet Jackson). In the laboratory, he slaves away on a special "youth formula" that reduces the aging process. The only problem is that there are traces of Buddy left within Sherman's DNA. All of a sudden, the timid professor is uncontrollably spewing out inappropriate sexual remarks. When he tries to ask Denise to marry him, what comes out of his mouth is more suited to a "Penthouse letter" than a marriage proposal.

To solve the problem, Sherman undergoes a "genetic extraction" process that gets rid of Buddy. The plot is too intricate to describe thoroughly, but Buddy manages to reincarnate himself by seizing onto another DNA structure (the implications of which are wildly funny, particularly a scene in a public restroom). He then tries to steal Sherman's youth formula, which has been hidden in the Klump family home. There, Papa Klump is having unfortunate impotence problems that are putting a strain on the relationship with his wife. Grandma Klump and her older-than-dirt paramour have no such problems, which only creates more family strife.

Murphy's original Nutty Professor worked for a couple of reasons. Although an outrageous comedy on the surface, the movie had a genuine sweetness underneath. The insecure, obese Sherman learned to accept himself and found true love. The juxtaposition of romance and scatological humor worked surprisingly well. The family scenes also added to the fun, since Murphy brought each member so vividly to life. They were like the seasoning on an already fine meal.

The Klumps takes everything a step further. The potty humor is - no pun intended - grossly inflated here, up to and including a scene in which a man is anally raped by a 9-foot hamster. (The scene is notably shown in the movie's trailer, so I assume I have not ruined anything by describing it here.) Many of the screenplay's gags revolve around sex or bodily fluids. On the other hand, the romantic angle is still an important element. Sherman worries that his beautiful, shapely girlfriend will reject him when she finds out he still has a little Buddy inside. If she respects him for his kindness and intelligence, how will she react to the lascivious Buddy? Murphy and Jackson have good chemistry together. I especially liked the way their relationship is built on respect. We get the sense that the two characters respond to each other in deep ways.

Eddie Murphy is The Klumps

The rest of the Klumps are also more developed in this film. They have a larger role, so we get to know more about them. In the sequel, they get to have lives - hopes, dreams, and aspirations all their own. They become more than comic relief, evolving into 3-dimensional characters we can care about. The scenes between Papa and Mama Klump are touching, and the ones with horny Grandma bring down the house (her sexual fantasy about Buddy Love will stand as one of 2000's most memorable movie moments). The Klumps are rich enough to deserve their own movie; it's nice to see them get one.

The film's writers are Barry Blaustein & David Sheffield (who penned the original) and Chris & Paul Weitz (the directors of American Pie); the director is Peter Segal (Tommy Boy, Naked Gun 33 1/3). Together, they have created a movie that is firmly in the spirit of the original, while still managing to carve out its own niche. And Eddie Murphy gives a tour de force performance playing about half the characters in the story. Won't somebody please give this brilliant comic genius the Oscar nomination he so richly deserves? Murphy brings such energy to the movie that I laughed from start to finish. Nutty Professor II: The Klumps is the rare sequel that matches the original in every way.

( 1/2 out of four)

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps is rated PG-13 for crude humor and sex-related material. The running time is 1 hour and 46 minutes.