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:

So funny you'll laugh your head off.

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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

When still "unconscious" Dolores grabs hold of Dr. Hfuhruhurr's belt [with her LEFT hand] and a nurse walks in on them, Dr. Hfuhruhurr covers by incorrectly stating that the grip strength in her RIGHT arm is much better (lifting her left arm), but the left is still useless (lifting her right arm).

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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

Either a portion of a scene was deleted from the DVD or a scene was added to the TV version. In the scene where Steve Martin is rushing home to save the brain (Miss Uumellmahaye), he slams on the accelerator, which sends Kathleen Turner flying backward, to which she screams, "What the f...!"

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Connections

Referenced in Family Guy: The Man with Two Brians (2008)

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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

One of the most underrated comedies of all time

An extremely funny movie, it deserves to be up there with Airplane! and The Naked Gun in the best 'stupid-funny' films of all time.

Steve Martin excels as the surgeon who falls in love with a dis-membered brain, and Kathleen Turner is perfect for the heartless gold-digger wife role she is given.

I am amazed at how many people have never heard of this film, let alone seen it. Go watch it now - I guarantee you'll be quoting it for months.