Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Robin Williams | ... | ||
Marcia Gay Harden | ... |
Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds
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Christopher McDonald | ... |
Wilson Croft
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Ted Levine | ... | ||
Clancy Brown | ... | ||
Raymond J. Barry | ... |
Chester Hoenicker
(as Raymond Barry)
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Wil Wheaton | ... |
Bennett Hoenicker
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Edie McClurg | ... |
Martha George
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Jodi Benson | ... |
Weebo
(voice)
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Leslie Stefanson | ... |
Sylvia
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Malcolm Brownson | ... |
Father
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Benjamin Brock | ... |
Window Boy
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Dakin Matthews | ... |
Minister
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Zack Zeigler | ... |
Teenage Boy
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Sam Lloyd | ... |
Coach Willy Barker
(as Samuel Lloyd)
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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. Written by Anonymous
An absent minded professor discovers a new type of rubber that can be harnessed as an energy source. However his discovery causes him to miss his wedding and lose his girlfriend. While trying to demonstrate his discovery to Sara Jean to win her back, he gets the attention of mobster Hoenicker who wants the discovery for himself.
The story here is unimportant - it's all a bit daft and if you look too closely at it, it all falls apart. For example - the professor has created a flying robot that has full intelligence and character but yet he hasn't made any money for himself or his college!, is the flubber alive or not? etc. But really it's all about the set pieces and the jokes. As such it falls down a little - it's good for kids but there's nothing in the crude slapstick for adults. Jokes include the usual "people getting hit in the head" style humour.
Williams character is not funny at all - a bit of a weakness in a comedy lead. In fact his forgetfulness is just stupid at times and doesn't have any charm to cover it. The funniest bits actually revolve around McDonald's Wilson - he doesn't get good lines but he has lots of incidental laughs. Ted Levine and Clancy Brown have both done better than this and are limited to comedy thugs - although both were probably glad to be in a big movie. Other well known faces include Raymond J. Barry and Wil Wheaton, although these are also underused. It's not really a movie about performances but I think it's still important.
The best characters are Weebo and the flubber. Weebo is quite funny and actually has a deep character - she's the secretary in love with her boss type - she also creates a strangely moving scene. The flubber is good - best in one big musical number halfway through and I wonder if they could have had more imaginative scenes with it as a character rather than just a bouncy ball.
Overall it's a kids film - don't expect anything more than that.