Flubber

Phillip Brainard (Robin Williams) is the absent-minded professor. Chester Hoenicker (Raymond J. Barry) threatens to close the college run by his girlfriend president Sara Jean Reynolds (Marcia Gay Harden). He keeps forgetting to go to their wedding and she vows that this is the last attempt. His work with a new compound as an energy source can save their college. He has a mechanical assistant Weebo. His hated old partner Wilson Croft (Christopher McDonald) visits after stealing all of his ideas and now is after Sara. Chester's son Bennett (Wil Wheaton) is failing Brainard's class and he expected his father had already bought the grades. Chester sends his henchmen Smith (Clancy Brown) and Wesson (Ted Levine).

There are a lot of good possibilities that don't pan out. Weebo is not cute and a bit of an annoying jealous brat. There is an uncomfortable man-machine love story. Also he has a flying robot. HE HAS A FLYING ROBOT! That is probably enough to keep the college going. Professor Brainard is not lovable enough. Christopher McDonald is too good at being creepy and I can't buy anybody even liking the guy. MGH is not likable either. There are too many broadly unlikeable characters. The Flubber itself is fun for a little while and Williams has good imaginary chemistry with an imaginary object. It allows him to have some physical humor. Although it gets very repetitive. There is only so much Home Alone slapstick that should be repeated. It's also very stupid that people saw the basketball game without figuring it out. This should be funnier but it's not.

Philip (Robin Williams) is a chemistry professor at a college with financial woes. On a side note, the school's president, talented Sara Jean (Marcia Gay Harden) is Philip's girlfriend and she is deeply disappointed that he has left her standing at the altar THREE times. Yet, Philip truly loves Sara. His problem is, of course, that once he is into an experiment, he loses touch with everything else in his life. The day Philip misses his third trip up the aisle of love, he discovers something big...that is, flying rubber or flubber. Knowing this could be the invention that turns the college's ledger into the black, he is eager to tell Sara of the news. Unfortunately, she won't talk to him and is receiving the attentions of a rival chemistry prof at a nearby university. It is this rival's intention, along with a host of others connected to the school, to steal the rubbery substance for their own purposes. Will they succeed? This is a mildly entertaining film, mostly due to Williams star power and the spectacular visual effects the movie offers. Flubber, indeed, takes on a green personality not unlike the Pillsbury doughboy and bounces all over the place, causing much fun and havoc. There is also a tiny robot-computer, living with Philip, that is very appealing. Add on the eye-treat of flying cars and basketball superduper jumpshots and you have a technically impressive film. Yet, somewhere along the way, a bit of the original film's soul and joyous freshness is lost. No, its not the fault of the talented Williams, Harden, Christopher McDonald or the other cast members. They are quite fine. There are also some laugh out loud scenes, such as the one where Professor Philip starts giving a lecture, not noticing that he is in a figure drawing class, or the ones where a neighboring boy, quite rightly fears, to his father's consternation, what is outside his window when flubber is out and about. In summary, the film's problem is probably a case of trying too hard in the special effects category and not enough in the remaining aspects of film making. Even so, it is not a stretch to say that most families will like Flubber, as everyone will be amazed by the stunning look of the movie.

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.

I admire Robin Williams.His quick,improvisational humor make him the most unique entertainer of our time.However,he does from time to time make bad choices,and Flubber was indeed a bad one,at least scriptwise.This movie's problem is not from bad performances,but from terrible writing,and that often makes the performers look bad.The intentions here are good,but the movie just fell flat in all aspects.If you want to see a movie about flubber,I would highly suggest "The Absent Minded Professor".It's a classic and it's much better.

A very basic and childish movie. It's fast paced, chaotic and nonsensical.. enough to keep the kids interested. As a grown up, it might make your eyes roll a few times.

There's not much to say other than it makes little sense, specially when the invention of a flying car comes AFTER the flying talking and sentient AI robot. Even as a Robin Williams film, this isn't particularly fun or worth a watch. Marcia Gay Harden and Christopher McDonald look too much like brother to make it awkward when they are "romantically involved". And the bad guy and plot are like 20 minutes of the movie. Wil Wheaton is hilariously bad (as he often is).

I'm inclined to seek out and watch the "Absent-Minded Professor" (1961), since this is a remake of that (thing I didn't know until recently).. and looks apt for the time it was made. Which might explain why this 1997 adaptation doesn't work for me at all.