Flubber (1997)

Flubber (1997)

5/10

Starring

Robin Williams

Marcia Gay Harden

Christopher McDonald

Raymond J. Barry

Directed by Les Mayfield

There are some movie that are meant to be left to the idea of the past. Life is something like that, whenever you reminisce of something it always seems to be more exciting than it was. And that feeling gets passed to movies, when I was younger I cannot count the amount of times I saw Disney’s Flubber. I recall enjoying it much back then, but watching it now the only thing I have come to appreciate is the special effects. Other than that I feel the movie has a very weak script and throws scientific words around not even trying to make any sense at all. The movie wasted the use of the late Robin Williams who at that time was churning out movies in the 90s many of which were amazing, this was not.

The movie has a very short run time, and that does not help. The movie introduces the problem, the cast members, the main turning point (the creation of flubber) and then it just throws them all into a pot, did not cook it well and dishes it.

The movie is a remake of another Disney movie in 1961, The Absent-Minded Professor and the screenplay was written by the classic comedy filmmaker of the 80s and 90s John Hughes.

The movie introduces us to Philip (Williams), who is a very intelligent scientist and is always working on some new technology or discovery. His whole house is robotized and Philip seems to be living the dream – he gets to do his work, teach and has the love of a beautiful woman Sara (Marcia Gay Harden).

Philip’s main problem is, he is absent-minded and Sara has been the person suffering for it.

She has given him many chances to show up and be there for her, but he has left her hanging numerous times and she has decided that if he does it one more time, she will leave him.

The had a major engagement and Philip forgot because it was at that time he created Flubber. Flubber is a green goo substance with enormous amounts of elasticity and kinetic energy. It can also transfer this energy to any substance which it is in contact with. Flubber is a little difficult to handle as with each bounce it gains more energy.

Philip had a new challenge, his girl has left him and his arch-enemy is moving in on her and he decided to use Flubber to try and get her back. He also has another problem, one of his students has a rich father who has decided to find something on Philip to get him to change his son’s grade from a F to an A.

This man has a lot of resources and he is closing in on Philip, so Philip has two matters on his plate which he has to handle.

Flubber has over time not been a critically successful endeavor with many agreeing that it will be a fun movie for children and not for adults.