Plot

Absent-minded professor invents “flying rubber” i.e., flubber. Hilarity ensues.

What I Liked

Robin Williams pulls out all his comic genius for this Disney pic without going over the top as the absent-minded professor. The phrase “hilarity ensues” is often overused but is an understatement for this movie, suitable in most respects for kids of all ages. The humour is either slap-stick style or straight-faced silly conversations, so we’re not talking rocket-science here. Most kids will laugh hysterically at the final slapstick scenes, while more high-browed adults will cover their mouths with their hands and pretend they’re not.

Main characters include Marcia Gay Harden as the professor’s true love, and a slimy Wil Wheaton (from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Stand By Me fame) playing the son of a crook trying to steal the technology (if you love Wil, you’ll want to see the movie anyway; if you hate Wil, you HAVE to see this movie!).

But the crooks have nothing on the sidekicks who steal just about every scene they’re in: listen for the voices of Jodi Benson and Julie Morrison as the professors’ robot assistants Weebo and Weebette! And the bad-guy thugs have a couple of the funniest moments in the movie.

If you’re willing to laugh at silly slapstick, then you’ll love this movie. I didn’t have high expectations going in, and I laughed so hard my sides hurt (so too for my companion for the evening). The best comedy I’ve seen in a while (and completely wholesome!). I almost never gush, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

What I Didn’t Like

Nothing.

The Bottom Line

A great light-hearted family movie.