Dimension Films' new release "Senseless" is one of the most moronic, clich éd and reprehensible films of the past two decades.

Marlon Wayans stars as Darryl Witherspoon, a down-on-his-luck college senior. An economics major at Stratford University, Darryl is constantly being solicited for past-due tuition.

An important Stratford alum (Rip Torn) is in charge of finding a senior economics major for an entry level position with a prominent Wall Street firm. Darryl is a finalist along with Scott Thorpe (David Spade), Darryl's adversary.

But until he finds out if he got the job, Darryl needs cash fast. When opportunity strikes in the form of a high-paying medical experiment in which no one else will participate, Darryl jumps at the chance. Dr. Wheedon, a professor at the school, (Brad Dourif) has created an experimental potion that will enhance the five senses beyond belief.

Before you have time to wonder just how old Spade is, the slightest smell or sound begins to drive Darryl crazy. But soon he is able to see, smell, hear, taste and feel better than anyone else. These enhanced abilities help Darryl in nearly all aspects of his life.

All is well until Darryl decides to take a double dose of the drug and finds that his senses are cycling out of control. He only has control over four of the five senses at any given moment--rendering him "senseless."

"Senseless" feels like a Jim Carrey movie. "Senseless" might have worked as a Jim Carrey movie. But as a Marlon Wayans movie, directed by Penelope Spheeris, it fails.

Spheeris directed the hysterical comedy "Wayne's World," and went straight downhill from there, directing such films as "The Little Rascals," "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Black Sheep." She never finds a consistent tone in this movie.

The broad physical comedy of the main plot is such a sharp contrast to the pathetic attempts at romance and drama that it is nearly impossible to decipher what this movie wants to evoke in the audience. Darryl goes through the experiment to help his cash-strapped family, and this "serious" angle seems to come from an entirely different movie. "Senseless" is forced and unconvincing.

"Senseless" has something to offend everyone. Even though some of the more questionable jokes were reportedly edited out of the final cut, homosexuals, Koreans, Turret's sufferers and fans of "The Jeffersons" are still the butt of tasteless and painfully unfunny jokes.

Spheeris packs the film with alternative pop culture junk, including Matthew Lillard as Wayans' college roommate, who has everything pierced from his eyebrows to his tongue to his lips to his ... well, I think we can all guess.

Lillard is very talented, and his character could be funny in a different movie, but in this film he seems extremely out of place.

This film might have worked with a few major changes.

First, Wayans should have been given greater freedom. Wayans tries to do a Carrey-style berserk physical comedy. Finding ways to build and improvise a bit could have helped set the movie on a more appropriate track.

A less clich éd script would have helped also. Greg Erb and Craig Mazin, whose only previous credit is the script for Disney's "Rocketman," wrote the paltry script. The film has a clich éd plot, clich éd punch lines and clich éd characters. The writers assume that if they gave the characters families, they've done their part in creating "real" people. They also pull out every trite "Police Academy" gag ever used.

All of this wouldn't have been as painful if the movie didn't try to reach an older, more mature audience. A movie like this should never be rated R. The producers should have realized that they were losing their core audience (teenage boys 12-16) with an R rating and cut some of the profane language, sexual innuendo and the dozens of shots of Wayans half-naked.

"Senseless" is an abysmal film that pretends to be a comedy with dramatic moments and realistic characters. But it's not. The characters are so one-dimensional at times you swear you can see right through them .The dramatic moments are inappropriate, poorly acted and out of place. And by using the term "comedy," it's inferred that you will want to laugh, but you won't.

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Are you a loser? Tired of being picked on? Well, with hard work and determination you can overcome your faults in time. Or you could look for a quick fix. It may not solve the long-term problem but they sure make for a fun two- hour flick.

The Nutty Professor (1996)

In this remake of the Jerry Lewis 1963 comedy, Eddie Murphy stars as Professor Sherman Klump, a severely overweight but good-hearted and bright man whose girth gets in the way of his love life.

He is a college professor on the verge of a breakthrough in DNA restructuring when he meets an admirer of his, Carla, a new teacher at Klump's college. He is enthralled with her but is frustrated by his tremendous bulk.

Attempting to improve his appearance, Klump takes a swig of his DNA potion and is transformed into the slim and suave Buddy Love, only the formula is far from perfect and wears off at the worst possible times. Murphy found the perfect formula for a comeback by getting back to his comic roots and reviving the "Coming to America" concept of playing seven characters.

This is a hysterical movie with plenty of laughs and memorable scenes.

The Mask (1994)

A mild-mannered bank clerk (Jim Carrey) discovers an ancient mask that has supernatural powers.

Upon putting on the mask, he becomes one animated man. He falls for a dame mixed up with gangsters, police and his love life.

Based upon the Dark Horse comic book, this was originally planned as a horror film but director Chuck Russel reconceived it as a cartoonish black comedy.

Carrey is perfectly cast and in fine form in this sometimes adolescent but humorous film. The Academy Award-winning effects are definitely the star of the show.