Flubber (1997)

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

Director:

Les Mayfield

Writers:

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

Stars:

Robin Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, Christopher McDonald

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Williams	...	Professor Philip Brainard
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds
Christopher McDonald	...	Wilson Croft
Ted Levine	...	Wesson
Clancy Brown	...	Smith
Raymond J. Barry	...	Chester Hoenicker (as Raymond Barry)
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 (as Samuel Lloyd)

Storyline

Professor 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. It looks like rubber, so he calls it flubber. This film is based on the 1961 Disney classic, "The Absent-Minded Professor.

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Plot Keywords:

professor | college | wedding | medfield college | flying rubber | 

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Taglines:

What is flubber?

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for slapstick action and mild language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Absent Minded Professor

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

DEM 5,635,547 (Germany) (20 March 1998)

Gross:

£10,728,868 (UK) (8 May 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Great Oaks Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 90 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Wil Wheaton, in the scenes that he was in with Robin Williams, they would film a take the way it was supposed to be filmed. After that take, Williams would often want to improvise scenes differently than the script, just for fun. Those scenes were not added to the actual film, but there were enough scenes to make an entirely different movie.

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Goofs

At several points when Brainard is talking to Weebo, you can see the bluescreen reflected in his glasses that was used to composite in Weebo's video screen.

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Quotes

Weebo: Maybe you should just go without me.
Professor Philip 'Phil' Brainard: Why?
Weebo: Because I get car sick.
Professor Philip 'Phil' Brainard: Oh, come on. You're not gonna blow chips.
Weebo: No!
Professor Philip 'Phil' Brainard: You don't have a stomach.
Weebo: I have a queasy gyro.

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Please Homer Don't Hammer 'em (2006)

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Soundtracks

"CHARGE"
Arranged and Performed by Ronnie Neuman
Courtesy of Dominion Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

A kids' movie, one which could have been worse, but is still nothing special (at least not for adults)

I remember watching this film more than once shortly after it came into stores (I would have been around eleven years old at the time), but can't remember exactly what I thought of it, so I obviously didn't absolutely love it or hate it. Would I have watched it years later if I never saw it before? Probably not, and DEFINITELY not for any reason other than Robin Williams' starring role. However, since I had seen it while growing up, I decided to try it again, and unsurprisingly, it turned out to be average overall.

Professor Philip Brainard is an absent-minded professor with a living computer named Weebo that floats through the air as his assistant. He is in love with Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds, the president of Medfield, a college which is in financial trouble. Brainard is busy trying to create a substance that will save the college, and has failed to show up at his attempted wedding more than once. Sara gives him one more chance, and if he fails to show up this time, it will be the last straw! That night, he successfully creates a living green substance which he calls "flubber" (after Weebo says it's "flying rubber"), and it appears this substance will do the trick! Sadly, he also misses the wedding again, and Sara is fed up. Nonetheless, he thinks about how he's going to use flubber to save Medfield College, and tries to once again win the heart of Sara, who is now going out with Wilson Croft, Brainard's rival. Meanwhile, Bennett Hoenicker is a spoiled student whom Brainard has failed, and his father, the extremely wealthy Chester Hoenicker plans to persuade the professor to pass his son!

Robin Williams is a very talented comedian, but that doesn't really show in this movie. He's a bit tamer than you may expect, in the kind of role you may expect one to act crazy in, and he is certainly not very funny. After saying that, I should also point out that "Flubber" as a whole fails as a comedy. I certainly didn't laugh, or even smile very much, and the part that I remember laughing the most at wasn't even supposed to be funny! The scene I'm talking about is the one where Sara says "This is going to be the very last time I try to marry you," which reminds me, the relationship between Philip and Sara is a rather awkward part of the story, and I guess there are problems with the script. The only really good INTENTIONAL gag I can think of is the "Let him have it. Give it to him. No, give it to him. Stop that and give it to him..." one. Another problem I can't forget is the villains, ones which may not belong.

"Flubber" is a remake of the 1961 Disney film, "The Absent Minded Professor", which I haven't seen (I didn't even know "Flubber" was a remake until around the time I last saw it), but know the 1961 original is generally considered superior. Well, it is a common thing for remakes to be inferior to their predecessors (I'm certainly not saying they always are, but it's not uncommon for fans of the original to be disappointed to some degree by the remake), and I'm sure this one is no exception. Whether you've seen "The Absent Minded Professor" or not, and whether you like it or not if you have seen it, you have to remember that "Flubber" is a kids' movie, and for most adults, other than parents, it is an insignificant flick, and probably not worth it.