Eddie Murphy's talent for comedy has been in eclipse during these leanrecent years of flops such as ``A Vampire in Brooklyn.'' But in ``The NuttyProfessor'' he's back with exuberance and energy, in a movie that's like a thumbto the nose for everyone who said he'd lost it. He's very good. And the moviesucceeds in two different ways: It's sweet and good-hearted, and then again it'sraucous slapstick and bathroom humor. I liked both parts.

The movie is inspired by a 1963 Jerry Lewis comedy, said by some to beLewis' best, in which Jerry played a mild-mannered chemistry professor whosesecret formula allowed him to transform himself into an obnoxious lounge lizardnamed Buddy Love. Some said Buddy Love was modeled on Lewis' former partner DeanMartin, allowing him to play both sides of their double act. Others said theBuddy Love character was an uncanny foreshadowing of Lewis' own personality inthe years to come. Maybe it was a little of both.

The Murphy version follows the broad outlines of the Lewis film, withone inspired addition: It makes the hero fat, in addition to making him shy andinept, and that doubles the opportunities for physical comedy. Jerry Lewis'transformation from the professor into Buddy Love was a personality switch, butMurphy also goes through a complete physical morphing, from 400 pounds toaverage weight and back again, sometimes almost instantly.

As the movie opens, Murphy is Professor Sherman Klump, brilliantchemist and geneticist, and fat slob. He falls instantly in love with a newgraduate student named Carla Purty (Jada Pinkett) and bashfully bumbles his wayinto asking her out on a date. Meanwhile, his position at school depends onraising new research funds, and the smarmy college dean (Larry Miller) puts onthe pressure during a sarcastic meeting (``Anything I can get for you? Juice?Coffee? Rack of lamb?'').

Sherman's tendency when worried is to eat, and so he settles down withrelief to the Klump family dinner table. Every adult member of the Klumpfamily--Sherman's parents, brother and granny--is played by Murphy, who hasalways been a master of disguise (remember him as Gumby?). But here he outdoeshimself, in a rising crescendo of vulgarity that would be disgusting if itweren't so funny (the audience laughed so hard at Papa Klump's approach to coloncleansing that I missed the next six lines of dialogue). Not only does Murphyplay the Klumps, but he also scores big laughs as a Richard Simmons clone on aTV exercise program.

The character of Sherman himself is a triumph of effective disguisecombined with good writing and acting. The makeup by three-time Oscar winnerRick Baker adds pounds to Murphy's face and neck so seamlessly that Shermanlooks completely convincing. And as Murphy plays him, Sherman becomes one of hismost likable characters, good-hearted, sympathetic and funny. When Shermanmorphs into Buddy Love, the thin character resembles some of Murphy's ownabrasive stage incarnations; does this mean he'll be hosting telethons in 10years? The plot, liberally inspired by the 1963 film, gets Sherman and thebeautiful Carla to a trendy nightclub where Sherman is humiliated by a comic(Dave Chappelle) because he's fat (``I think I found where they hid JimmyHoffa''). Later Buddy Love returns to the club and gets revenge, althoughCarla's attraction to Buddy is never quite accounted for in the fast-movingplot.

Sherman's transformation into Buddy isn't all makeup; at times animationand visual tricks are used. And there are a couple of slick special effectssequences, including a nightmare in which Sherman grows to the size of King Kongand strides through a terrified city. Buddy has a tendency to blow up intoSherman without notice, which leads to embarrassment: Fireman have to cut himout of a sports car. And Murphy plays both roles simultaneously in a scene wherethe two characters fight for control of his body. (The manic energy here is areminder that the director, Tom Shadyac, also made ``Ace Ventura: PetDetective.'') The ending is just as sentimental as in the original, with Shermanlearning to accept himself (and to be loved by Carla). He delivers a heartfeltspeech (``Buddy's who I thought I wanted to be--who I thought the world wantedme to be. But I was wrong''). Eddie Murphy looks straight at the camera as hehits the last line, and it occurred to me that maybe he was referring indirectlyto some of his recent career miscues. There is a lot of Buddy Love in the EddieMurphy screen persona. Maybe too much. And not enough Sherman Klump. But I'venever doubted Murphy's comic gift, and ``The Nutty Professor'' shows him back ontrack, balancing two sides of a real talent.