- THE REAL ST. PATRICK— Who was this influential servant of Christ honored by the Irish? What is his TRUE and inspiring story?
- WISDOM— What is it and how can I become wiser?
- PURITY— Why should I save sex for marriage?
- EFFECTIVE RESPONSES— How can I best respond to tough questions from unbelievers?
- Mufasa: Mickey 17
- Captain America: Brave New World
- Paddington in Peru
- Love Hurts
- Flight Risk
- Wolf Man
- Survive
- A Complete Unknown
- Maria
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Michael Peña, age , American actor and musician, —“Moonfall,” “Fantasy Island,” “Jexi,” “Ant-Man” 1-2, “CHiPs” (2017), “Cesar Chavez,” “The Shield” TV series, “Narcos: Mexico” TV series • Faith: Scientology • Worldview: Liberalism
Woody Harrelson, actor—“Zombieland” 1-2, “War for the Planet of the Apes (2017),” “2012,” “No Country for Old Men,” “The Hunger Games,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “Natural Born Killers” • Faith: Considers himself spiritual and leans toward Hinduism with admiration of the Hindu Yogi Paramahansa Yogananda. He was raised by a reportedly devout Christian mother and attended a liberal Presbyterian college (Hanover) where he says, “I was actually considering being a minister. …I was very religious growing up.” • Worldview: self-identifies as an anarchist, Socialism, Environmentalism (activist), Veganism
Please take a moment now to pray for these influential people (prayer suggestions).
The Absent-minded Professor
Reviewed by: Brett Willis
STAFF WRITER
| Moral Rating: | Good |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Family |
| Genre: | Sci-Fi Family Sports Comedy |
| Length: | 1 hr. 36 min. |
| Year of Release: | 1961 |
| USA Release: |
March 16, 1961 |
| Featuring | Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk, Leon Ames |
| Director |
Robert Stevenson |
| Producer | Walt Disney |
| Distributor | Buena Vista |
This spoof of eccentric scientists and government and military ineptness is well done. The comedy element is funny, and the conflict is restrained enough to make it appropriate for all but small children. Centering around the popularity of “The Absent-Minded Professor” comes the sequel, “Son of Flubber” and remake “Flubber.”
Professor Ned Brainerd (Fred MacMurray) is so absorbed in his research that he’s missed his own wedding to Betsy (Nancy Olson) twice. While missing the third appointment, he discovers a new substance—“Flubber” (flying rubber)—that generates its own energy. Flubber can be used to create multiple products, from high-jumping shoes to flying cars. Keenan Wynn is convincing as nasty loan shark Alonzo Hawk, who steals the professor’s discovery; his father, Ed Wynn, plays the goofy fire chief.
Compared to today’s films, I have to look hard for material for a warnings paragraph. The competition between government agencies, between branches of the military, and between the military and Congress are all playfully satirized. Brainerd’s housekeeper makes an offhand reference to a millions-of-years-old Earth. Brainerd uses Flubber to treat the basketball team’s shoes and thus “fix” a game; but in doing so he’s just balancing the scales, since the other college has recruited top-flight players with illegal payments. The most disturbing images for children would be the car crashes and the threatened use of guns by Hawk’s hoodlums. On the whole, it’s a fantasy film that’s just good clean fun.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in Christian Spotlight reviews are those of the reviewers themselves, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Christian Answers.
