The Absent Minded Professor
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk, Leon Ames, Elliott Reid, Edward Andrews
Directed by: Robert Stevenson
Rating: Approved
Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction
1961
Times Seen:
Tim: 1
Summary: A college professor (Fred MacMurray) invents an anti-gravity substance.
Review:
Tim: I have to say, I expected to like The Absent Minded Professor more than I did. The movie spawned a sequel and decades later, a remake. I expected the original to be pretty good. It doesn't quite reach that level. Sure, the film is decent and was nominated for 3 Academy Awards in technical categories. However, there's aspects of the film that haven't aged as well. In the end, I'd admit the movie has more than a few positive qualities, but it's still not a very good film.
The premise behind the film is stronger than the actual execution of it. An absent minded professor accidentally invents an anti-gravity substance he calls 'flubber'. He tries to navigate his falling apart relationship while trying to convince the world of his discovery while running afoul of a greedy businessman who wants the substance for himself. It feels like there's a compelling movie in there, so I have no fault with the idea and the general approach. It's really how the film is executed that bothers me.
It's hard to know why we should care about the main character. I guess he's sort of likeable in a goofy way, but his absentmindedness isn't so much an endearing quality. He obviously causes a lot of pain to people around him. I think the role was miscast, but more on that in a minute. The character does some questionable things throughout the course of the movie. The most bizarre one is where he terrorizes a romantic rival by flying his car on top of his rival's car, slamming into it in dangerous and potentially deadly fashion. It's such a strange thing for a protagonist to do, and we're supposed to cheer him on? I get that the 60s could be a brutal time, but it's such an odd encounter to see in a Disney movie. My four year-old wandered into the room during this scene and was asking why the bad guy was attacking the other man. This scene likely played differently upon release, but it really hasn't aged well at all.
The plot feels like it's all over the place, too. You have the scientist and the woman he loves and her righteous fury at being stood up numerous times. You have the whole evil businessman plot line. You have a ton of the film spent on the military and their response to flubber. It feels like too much and by the end of the film, I was just ready for it to be over. The movie is short, but it feels too long.
I wasn't a big fan of Fred MacMurray in this role. He certainly looks like a movie star, but I never bought him in this role. He wasn't able to connect emotionally enough with the audience. His performance didn't give me a reason to care about his character at all. His comedic timing felt off- I'm not sure he made me laugh a single time. It really wasn't a very good performance at all. The rest of the cast felt similar- they might have been okay, but there's really no standouts. Nancy Olson didn't do anything particularly interesting. Keenan Wynn felt too one-dimensional. The cast was serviceable, but ultimately underwhelming.
The film did receive 3 Academy Award nominations and I have to admit the technical side of the film was definitely the better aspect. The visuals are quite impressive. The film was nominated for Best Cinematography B&W, Best Art Direction-Set Direction B&W, and Best Special Effects. It didn't win any, but the film obviously deserves acclaim for its technical prowess. The basketball scene is definitely memorable and visually impressive, and you always have to give a flying car credit.
In the end, The Absent Minded Professor is a harmless little film. I never hated it, but I was never as engaged with the characters or story as I should have been. I really don't feel any desire to ever watch this again.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5
If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Son of Flubber