X
- 1997
- PG
- Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- 1 h 33 m
- 1997
- PG
- Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- 1 h 33 m
Summary Robin Williams stars in this remake of Disney's "The Absent Minded Professor."
Directed By: Les Mayfield
Written By: Samuel W. Taylor, John Hughes, Bill Walsh
- 1997
- PG
- Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- 1 h 33 m
- 1997
- PG
- Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- 1 h 33 m
Flubber
38
5.2
Where to Watch
Summary Robin Williams stars in this remake of Disney's "The Absent Minded Professor."
Directed By: Les Mayfield
Written By: Samuel W. Taylor, John Hughes, Bill Walsh
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
38
21% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
42% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
37% Negative
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
38
21% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
42% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
37% Negative
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
Despite a couple of slow stretches along the way, director Mayfield does a generally fine job of integrating the eye-popping special effects with the simple but serviceable plot. The pace is just brisk enough to satisfy youngsters with short attention spans, and Williams is winning enough to keep audiences of all ages involved.
In fact, there are times when this movie feels like the latest installment in the over-milked Home Alone saga.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 70 User Ratings
5.2
24% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
50% Mixed
35 Ratings
35 Ratings
26% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 70 User Ratings
5.2
24% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
50% Mixed
35 Ratings
35 Ratings
26% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
Robin Williams is no Fred MacMurray, but he plays the hero with his customary energy.
Williams is so unique that his presence automatically changes any project he stars in. Surprisingly, in this case, the change isn't particularly welcome.
Writer/producer John "Home Alone" Hughes, the Marquis de Sade of kidcom, and director Les Mayfield manage to squeeze the very bounce out of what should have been a can't-miss update. [26Nov1997 Pg09.D]
Remember when John Hughes made small, original, oh say, GOOD movies?
Like everything else in this needless remake—from a heartless performance by Williams to the patented kiddie-sadism of screenwriter John Hughes—it's sloppily grafted onto a skeletal version of the original, with scenes lifted from the source and reinserted in a manner that doesn't make sense.
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 **** 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
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When you stop by and watch movies like "Flubber", I always seem to ****?
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Flubber? More like filler. So many scenes pointlessly dragged on for too long. The only thing I can give it is that they went pretty nutty with the special effects. But other than that, it's 20 minutes of actual content and I'm not going to spoil too much, but the resolution makes little to no sense. It's a somewhat interesting idea in theory, but I guess it isn't since it would be the length of a TV show episode without all the filler.
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Production Company
Walt Disney Pictures,
Great Oaks Entertainment
Release Date Nov 26, 1997
Duration 1 h 33 m
Rating PG
Tagline The stuff dreams are made of.
Awards
BMI Film & TV Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Bogey Awards, Germany
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
