The Man with Two Brains (1983)

A brain surgeon marries a femme fatale, causing his life to turn upside down. Things go more awry when he falls in love with a talking brain.

Director:

Carl Reiner

Writers:

George Gipe, Steve Martin

Stars:

Steve Martin, Kathleen Turner, David Warner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Martin	...	Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr
Kathleen Turner	...	Dolores Benedict
David Warner	...	Dr. Alfred Necessiter
Paul Benedict	...	Butler
Richard Brestoff	...	Dr. Pasteur
James Cromwell	...	Realtor
George Furth	...	Timon
Peter Hobbs	...	Dr. Brandon
Earl Boen	...	Dr. Felix Conrad
Bernie Hern	...	Gun Seller
Francis X. McCarthy	...	Olsen (as Frank McCarthy)
William Traylor	...	Inspector
Randi Brooks	...	Fran
Bernard Behrens	...	James Gladstone
Russell Orozco	...	Juan

Storyline

Recently widowed Doctor Michael Hfuhruhurr, the world's greatest neurosurgeon, injures Dolores Benedict in a car accident. He operates on her and saves her life using a technique of his own invention: cranial screw-top brain entry. As Benedict recovers, Hfuhruhurr falls in love with her and they are soon married. However, Benedict is only interested in Hfuhruhurr's money and Hfuhruhurr still yearns for his previous wife. They travel to Vienna to attend a medical conference where Hfuhruhurr finally divorces Dolores, meets a mysterious Doctor Alfred Necessiter and becomes entangled in a series of murders committed by The Elevator Killer.

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Plot Keywords:

brain | serial killer | female frontal nudity | breasts | prostitute | 

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Taglines:

DANGER: HEALTH WARNING: Watching This Movie May Cause Severe Brain Damage

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

El doctor erótico

Filming Locations:

Castle Green Apartments - 99 S. Raymond, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,498,931, 5 June 1983

Gross USA:

$10,100,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aspen Film Society, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kathleen Turner once said of this movie, "After Body Heat (1981) I got a lot of offers but none of the films were good enough. I wanted this part because it's a comedy and because the character was so outrageous. I thought if I was very brave I could do some extraordinary things with it. It wasn't a run-of-the-mill token female role."

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Goofs

The Mercedes driven by Dr. Hfuhruhurr is an American model which is revealed by the type of its headlights.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr: [in surgery] Check the art line. You're hyperventilating the patient.
Anaestheseologist: No doctor.
Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr: Ready the bone wax. Metzenbaum scissors.
Surgery Nurse: Metzenbaum scissors.
Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr: [meowing] Get that cat out of here.
Anaestheseologist: Yes sir.
Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr: Ready to close. Remove the Wietlander Retractor.
Surgery Nurse: Pre-closure doctor.
Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr: Remove the rating clip, for God's sake!

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Crazy Credits

At the end is shown: Merv Griffin did not turn himself in and is at large. If you have any information as to his whereabouts, call your local theatre manager

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Alternate Versions

The scene in the hotel where the bellboy goes through puberty in a matter of seconds is removed from the currently available DVD version.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997)

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Soundtracks

Under the Bamboo Tree
(uncredited)
Music by James Weldon Johnson and Rosamond Johnson
Lyrics by Bob Cole
Performed by Steve Martin and Sissy Spacek

User Reviews

Amusing and fun comedy for Steve Martin's fans

The movie deals with Steve Martin a famous surgeon married to sexy and greedy Kathleen Turner but he meets a scientist (David Warner) who makes human experiments and falls in love with a brain in a jar (with the voice of Sissy Spacek) and he immediately begins searching a house for living . It's a silly remake to 1950 terror science fiction films and specially to ¨Donovan's brain¨ (Curt Siodmak) , even appear some frames on the movie .

This is a film for Steve Martin enthusiasts but has the brand of his own humor : the comedy is crazy and savage . In the film there is tongue-in-cheek , irony , wild humor , giggles , profanities and is quite entertaining and funny . This is the third of four films that actor Steve Martin has made with director Carl Reiner , the other movies are The jerk (1979) , All of me (1984) and Dead men don't wear plaid (1982) . And second and final of only two ever produced screenplays that were co-written by George Gipe who co-wrote this film along with director Carl Reiner and actor Steve Martin . Here Steve Martin interprets in his peculiar style , as always . Kathleen Turner , recently her acting in ¨Body Heat¨ repeats the role as the evil and nasty loveless married wife . The picture is rated ¨R¨ for partial nudity , a little bit of violence and profanities . The motion picture was professionally directed by Carl Reiner . Rating : Acceptable and passable .