Flubber (1997)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Les Mayfield

Writers (WGA):

Samuel W. Taylor (short story "A Situation of Gravity")
John Hughes (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 November 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

The stuff dreams are made of.

Plot:

An absent-minded professor discovers "flubber," a rubber-like super-bouncy substance.

Plot Keywords:

Bet | Bribery | Cat | Unlikely Hero | Car

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Professor Philip Brainard
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds
Christopher McDonald	...	Wilson Croft
Raymond J. Barry	...	Chester Hoenicker (as Raymond Barry)
Clancy Brown	...	Smith
Ted Levine	...	Wesson
Wil Wheaton	...	Bennett Hoenicker
Edie McClurg	...	Martha George
Jodi Benson	...	Weebo (voice)
Leslie Stefanson	...	Sylvia
Malcolm Brownson	...	Father
Benjamin Brock	...	Window Boy
Dakin Matthews	...	Minister
Zack Zeigler	...	Teenage Boy
Sam Lloyd	...	Coach Willy Barker

Also Known As:

Disney's Flubber: The Absent Minded Professor (promotional title)
The Absent Minded Professor (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for slapstick action and mild language.

Runtime:

93 min | Spain:90 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:U | Iceland:L | USA:PG (certificate #35540) | Canada:F (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:G (Ontario) (video rating: 2004) | Canada:G (British Columbia/Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Nova Scotia) | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8/5 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. (w) | Hong Kong:I | Mexico:A | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA

Company:

Great Oaks Entertainment

Trivia:

During late 1993, when this movie was first announced, Steven Spielberg considered being the executive producer of this film, and have the film released under the Amblin label. But he decided not to go through with it because his only choice for the lead role, Robin Williams, was at the time in a bitter fall out with the Walt Disney Company and refused to be in the film.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Air bag for catching stuntman is visible when Prof. Brainard falls out a window backwards.

Quotes:

Wilson Croft: What happened between us, Phil?
Professor Philip 'Phil' Brainard: Well, I just got tired of you stealing my ideas, Wilson.

Movie Connections:

Features Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)

Soundtrack:

GET READY FOR THIS

Fun Mainly For The Kids

This was a fun remake of "The Absent-Minded Professor," with special-effects the main show here. We see and hear the following impossible things: inanimate objects become human (with feelings, no less!) and a flying computer called "Weebo." Obviously, this is just a far-off story designs only for laughs (I know one person who actually took some of this stuff seriously.)

Despite a bowling bowl repeatedly hitting someone in the head, it's a fairly harmless movie with no language problems, which is a rarity in a Robin Williams film. Robin is the "absent- minded professor," in this "Dr. Philip Brainiard." You can call him, "Dr. Phil." There are one or two sneaky-vulgar lines but nothing much.

With the flubber-substance making balls bounce forever, into every object, you get a lot of slapstick scenes that are either stupid or laugh-out-loud funny. The story, geared a lot more for kids than adults, has a nice lighthearted feel to it. For adults, one viewing is plenty, but kids will enjoy it multiple times.