Flubber
November. 26,1997 PGProfessor Phillip Brainard, an absent minded professor, works with his assistant Weebo, trying to create a substance that's a new source of energy and that will save Medfield College where his sweetheart Sara is the president. He has missed his wedding twice, and on the afternoon of his third wedding, Professor Brainard creates flubber, which allows objects to fly through the air.
Similar titles
You May Also Like
Reviews
If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Flubber (1997): Dir: Les Mayfield / Cast: Robin Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, Christopher MacDonald, Raymond J. Barry, Wil Wheaton: Flubber is green goo that bounces and stretches. Robin Williams plays a professor who creates the substance and it has the ability to render people or objects air born, which makes it difficult to control. There is a subplot regarding a student whom Williams flunked who just happens to be the son of someone they owe payments too. Formula plot mixed with stupidity with an ending that achieves the same affect as a kick to the groin. Director Les Mayfield creates a mess. He previously remade Miracle on 34th Street so now he is remaking The Absent-Minded Professor. Talk of machines with souls is unnecessary and laughable. Special effects are appealing but acting is terrible. Williams is basically rehashing old acts and his marriage ceremony scenes is actually offensive. Marcia Gay Harden is given the thankless role of girlfriend. Christopher MacDonald plays the villain, as if that is a surprise. Raymond J. Barry also makes an appearance as if this was some kind of grand career move. Wil Wheaton plays a snot nose little brat whom Williams must take down school wise. The special effects form many objects and fancy the mind with music but screenplay isn't quite so lucky. Pointless puke family crap that eventually turns to guck. Score: 1 / 10
Phillip Brainard (Robin Williams) is the absent-minded professor. Chester Hoenicker (Raymond J. Barry) threatens to close the college run by his girlfriend president Sara Jean Reynolds (Marcia Gay Harden). He keeps forgetting to go to their wedding and she vows that this is the last attempt. His work with a new compound as an energy source can save their college. He has a mechanical assistant Weebo. His hated old partner Wilson Croft (Christopher McDonald) visits after stealing all of his ideas and now is after Sara. Chester's son Bennett (Wil Wheaton) is failing Brainard's class and he expected his father had already bought the grades. Chester sends his henchmen Smith (Clancy Brown) and Wesson (Ted Levine).There are a lot of good possibilities that don't pan out. Weebo is not cute and a bit of an annoying jealous brat. There is an uncomfortable man-machine love story. Also he has a flying robot. HE HAS A FLYING ROBOT! That is probably enough to keep the college going. Professor Brainard is not lovable enough. Christopher McDonald is too good at being creepy and I can't buy anybody even liking the guy. MGH is not likable either. There are too many broadly unlikeable characters. The Flubber itself is fun for a little while and Williams has good imaginary chemistry with an imaginary object. It allows him to have some physical humor. Although it gets very repetitive. There is only so much Home Alone slapstick that should be repeated. It's also very stupid that people saw the basketball game without figuring it out. This should be funnier but it's not.
This is the remake of 1961's Absent-Minded Professor, where Robin Williams plays Professor Phillip Brainard. He works with his assistant Weebo, a talking miniature flying robot, and created a rubber-like substance called Flubber, which can make objects fly through air. His scientific research has caused him to miss his wedding to fiancée Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds (Marcia Gay Harden), who ends up going out with Professor Wilson Croft (Christopher McDonald). Therefore, Brainard works to get Reynolds back, and deal with a couple of criminals who want their hands on Brainard's scientific work.I haven't seen The Absent-Minded Professor, so I couldn't compare the two films. But, to evaluate this movie alone, I'd say it is just an average movie with some whimsical fun and silly slapstick comedy, and a plot that really goes all over the place. Williams looks pretty odd in the movie, Harden did an OK job in her role, and McDonald was just plain annoying in his performance. I enjoyed the Weebo character, voiced by The Little Mermaid voice actress Jodi Benson. The little flying robot reminded me of the little aliens in the sci-fi flick *batteries not included, and her little TV screen that shows various Disney cartoon scenes whenever she makes emotions is a clever touch.Overall, I didn't think it was a really exciting movie, but for its whimsical, slapstick and childish elements, this movie is best left for younger children to enjoy.Grade C
Hmm, I was told that this movie is cute, and cute it is, but it is not the best that I have seen. I must admit that Robin Williams is a funny guy, but this is not one of his funniest movies. The best scene in the movie was when he walks into a life drawing class thinking that it is his physics class and goes ahead and teaches. Other than that this movie is rather ordinary with lots of clichés to fill it up. I enjoyed it, a bit, but I have seen better.Basically, a college is about to be shut down and Robin Williams is an absent minded professor who has missed his wedding three times. It is interesting that he has a robot that is in love with him and is forcing him not to marry the woman who he loves. This is all very cute but I thought that it was a little silly. The professor is very smart but, as is introduced rather quickly, somebody else always steals his ideas and gets the fame for it. The guy is basically the bad guy who is milking the professor for all he is worth. Then there is the corporate boss who thinks that solving problems is done by throwing money at it. He wants his kid to get straight A's so he throws money at it.When we look at the movie we see once again the theme of the American Dream. Everybody can become happy and rich if they simply work at it. All problems can be over come by ones own ability and that the end is always happy. This is a very shallow and idealistic theme which generally annoys me. Even though, Flubber is a kids movie though it has a few interesting scenes thrown in to keep the adults interested, because it is the adults that must take their kids to see the movie. Flubber is a Walt Disney movie, and I generally don't like Disney for some unknown reason, I guess because it is reaching into the minds of children and manipulating them into clones of themselves. All of us who grew up on Disney has been forced into a Disney mindset. I am far more critical of children's movies, and those who specialise in them, because our children follow them more than adults. Adults watch movies, children believe movies.