Flubber

In this colourful remake of ‘The Absent Minded Professor’ (1961), Robin Williams plays Professor Philip Brainard, a brilliant off the wall inventor with an unfortunate short term memory. Flubber, his latest creation is a green rubber-like substance, which has the capacity to give objects flight. Potentially a gold mine for the professor and his college (which is near bankruptcy), the invention receives the unwelcome attention of Brainard’s spiteful nemesis Wilson Croft (Christopher McDonald), who has his own plans for the gravity-defying matter. The romantic subplot which involves a bizarre love triangle between Brainard, his long suffering fiance Sara (Marcia Gay Harden), and a female robot with a jealous streak called Weebo (Jodi Benson), give the film some surprisingly poignant moments, mainly due to Harden’s tender performance. Music by Danny Elfman and screenplay by John Hughes and Bill Walsh.