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‘FLUBBER’: Overview
Release Date: November 16, 1997 (New York City), November 26, 1997 (United States)
Creators: John Hughes, Ricardo Mestres
Director: Les Mayfield
Starring: Robin Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, Christopher McDonald, Jodi Benson
Rating: PG
Synopsis: A professor, who has missed his wedding twice, creates a substance that allows things to fly through the air on the afternoon of his third wedding to the same woman.
How Long Is ‘FLUBBER’?
Flubber‘s running time is 93 minutes.
‘FLUBBER’ Plot
Professor Philip Brainard (Williams) of Medfield College is trying to come up with an invention to save the floundering institution, whose president is his fiance, Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds (Harden). He finally develops Flubber, a green, oozy substance that has kinetic energy to make things fly through the air. He proceeds to wreck his house and the neighborhood with the Flubber, and then spend the rest of the night working on it before missing his wedding to Reynolds for the third time.
Brainard and Reynolds break up and then Wilson Croft, Brainard’s former partner, and nemesis, moves in on Reynolds, hoping she’ll marry him instead. Meanwhile, Weebo (Benson), Brainard’s sentient robot assistant, professes her love to Brainard. Then, Brainard has an idea for how the Medfield Squirrels can beat the Rutland Rangers in an upcoming basketball game, using his Flubber. He tells Weebo of his love for Sara and Weebo tells Sara, who gets back together with Brainard. The Flubber is then stolen by some henchmen, and Brainard and Sara have to get it back from the evil millionaire who stole it, who are working with Croft.
A battle ensues in which the villains are defeated and the Flubber is retrieved. Brainard and Sara then raise the money needed to keep Medfield alive and finally do get to marry each other, flying off to Hawaii after their wedding in a Ford Thunderbird.
‘FLUBBER’ Cast
Flubber was full of big names that made bigger names for themselves as a result of the film. Except for Weebo, who was killed during shooting.
ROBIN WILLIAMS as PROFESSOR PHILIP BRAINARD
Robin Williams is Professor Philip Brainard, an absent-minded professor who furiously works his life away in his basement, never accomplishing anything. And yet, he somehow has a fiance that he forgot to marry two, going on three, times. Williams managed to have a bullet-proof career, filming Deconstructing Harry and Good Will Hunting in the same year as Flubber (1997).
MARCIA GAY HARDEN as DR. SARA JEAN REYNOLDS
Marcia Gay Harden plays Brainard’s long-suffering fiance, Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds. Despite Brainard’s absentmindedness, it’s hard to feel sorry for her because she trusts that Brainard will change. She finally starts a new relationship only to return to Brainard. After Flubber, Harden went on to leading roles in Desperate Measures and Meet Joe Black, both in 1998.
CHRISTOPHER MCDONALD as WILSON CROFT
Christopher McDonald plays Wilson Croft, the antagonist to Professor Brainard. He has an irrational hatred of Brainard and tries to take everything he has, even his fiance, Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds. He played Ward in Leave It To Beaver the same year as his work in Flubber (1997).
JODI BENSON as WEEBO
Jodi Benson plays Weebo, a sentient robot created by Brainard. She is in love with Brainard and is responsible for one of his failed weddings, but is wracked with guilt over breaking up Brainard and Reynolds. Ultimately, Weebo is beaten to death with a baseball bat. Benson is a versatile voice artist, and she has played in many films, TV films, TV series and video games throughout her career.
‘FLUBBER’ Songs and Soundtrack
Flubber‘s soundtrack is something one would expect from a Robin Williams film. It contains everything from orchestra to rock to jock jams, featuring Vivaldi, The Alan Parsons Project and 2 Unlimited. The film’s soundtrack was compiled by Danny Elfman.
‘FLUBBER’ at the Box Office
Flubber made $178 million internationally, grossing $92.9 million in the United States. On its opening weekend in the United States, it made $26.7 million. The budget was estimated at $80 million.
‘FLUBBER’ Reviews – What the Critics Said
The consensus among reviewers was that Flubber was a miss, with the acting being dull and the humor being lazily slapstick-ish. It was noted that the film did not make full use of its actors’ talents, forcing them to fill stunted roles in which characters were not developed enough for actors to deliver the type of performances they were known for.
Where ‘Flubber’ Fits in the Disney Movie Pantheon
Flubber is a trope-filled movie that every 90s kid will remember loving or hating. It ranks on lists ranging from the best to the worst, with This Artist Turns Disney Characters Into Pokemon Evolutions (#17) and Great Movies About Inventors And Innovators (#20) in between. Critics said it was mostly a failure, with Williams’ performance being a bit dull and the humor being a bit dumb. Nevertheless, Flubber toys were a hit with kids who were into slime in the 90s, and were put on store shelves and in the McDonalds Happy Meal. All those kids are selling their flubber toys on Etsy now.
‘FLUBBER’ Trailer
‘FLUBBER’ Trivia: 5 Fast Facts
Spielberg, Metamucil and “The Tiger Rag” all made it into Flubber. Robin Williams’ improved scenes were left on the cutting room floor.
1. A Nod To Spielberg
Early in pre-production, Steven Spielberg considered producing Flubber, but he didn’t. When Professor Philip Brainard and Sara go out for a drive, Brainard flies through a cloud in front of the moon. You can see a reference to E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), directed by Spielberg, as the cloud clears.
2. The Sound Of Flubber
Sound designer, Andrew M. Somers, created the sound of Flubber by filling a rubber balloon with water, Metamucil, and air. The Metamucil became gelatinous and, in the balloon, it helped make the squashy sound. The voice of Flubber, performed by Scott Martin Gershin, was processed to sound high pitched.
3. Where Credit Is Due
Although Flubber was filmed in the standard spherical format, the end credits say it was “Filmed in Panavision.”
4. Fighting Words
In the scene where Professor Philip Brainard is talking to Dale, the basketball player, there is a fight song playing in the background. The fight song is Clemson University’s “The Tiger Rag” or “Hold That Tiger”.
5. Do Whatever You Want Day
After a take was filmed, Robin Williams would often want to improvise scenes differently than the script, just for fun. While those scenes were not included in the final release, there were enough of Williams’ improvisations to make an entirely different film.
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