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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

The stuff dreams are made of.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

---

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.

---

Goofs

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

---

Quotes

Phillip Brainard: If we were interested in making money, we wouldn't have become teachers.

---

Connections

Featured in Film 2013: A Christmas Treat (2001)

---

Soundtracks

"GET READY FOR THIS"
Written by Jean-Paul DeCoster, Phil Wilde, and Simon Harris
Performed by 2 Unlimited
Courtesy of Radikal/Critique Records

User Reviews

Technically impressive and enjoyable, but somewhat forgettable too

This movie had a lot of potential. While technically impressive and very enjoyable with some genuinely funny moments, for some reason it falls short. Of course there are redeeming qualities, such as the fun music score by Danny Elfman, one of my all time favourite film composers and an amusing turn from Robin Williams. Also the special effects are greatly improved from the effects in the Absent Minded Professor, and Flubber who is so cute steals the show. The performances from Clancy Brown, Ted Levine and Marcia Gay Horden are entertaining, and Jodi Benson (who voiced Ariel in the Little Mermaid)is a delight as the voice of Weebo, whose death is absolutely heart-rending. However the story is very predictable, and offers few surprises, and the physical comedy was better than the patchy script which in places felt uninspired. That saying some of the physical comedy has strong hints of deja vu, and is rather hit and miss. Of course kids will lap it up, but adults probably won't like it as much. The second half of the movie is more meandering in quality compared to the first half, very little of interest happens and some of the situations come across as ridiculous. All in all, somewhat forgettable, but for a kids movie it is pretty entertaining. 6/10 Bethany Cox