Flubber

Significantly worse than one might’ve anticipated, Flubber follows Robin Williams’ absent-minded professor, Philip Brainard, as he invents a miraculous, rubbery substance that possesses almost magical qualities – with complications ensuing after several villainous figures, including Raymond J. Barry’s Chester Hoenicker and Christopher McDonald’s Wilson Croft, attempt to get their hands on the titular concoction. There’s little within the entirety of Flubber that wholeheartedly (or even partially) works, as director Les Mayfield, working from a script by Bill Walsh and John Hughes (!), has infused the proceedings with a juvenile, geared-towards-small-children sensibility that grows more and more grating as time progresses – with the somewhat episodic narrative riddled with unreasonably over-the-top, desperately unfunny sequences. The ensuing lack of momentum is hardly surprising and it’s disappointing to note, too, that the talented cast is left floundering within their respective roles, which is a shame, certainly, given that the supporting cast boasts an impressive assortment of talented performers (including Clancy Brown, Marcia Gay Harden, and Ted Levine). By the time the frantic yet completely underwhelming climactic stretch rolls around, Flubber has confirmed its place as a particularly ineffective Disney reboot that wastes the talent of its cast and crew.

*1/2 out of ****