I'll tell you why so serious

Excellent adaptation.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Ned Brainard (Fred MacMurray) is an accident-prone professor in Medfield College of Technology. Betsy Carlisle (Nancy Olson) tries to marry him for the third time. Despite all the precautions, he still can't make it to the ceremony after a lab accident which creates an incredible substance Flubber. Professor Shelby Ashton is all too happy to pick up the pieces with Betsy. Ruthless businessman Alonzo Hawk is threatening the college by withholding a loan renewal and building track housing over the college. He is also not happy with Brainard's treatment of his failing son. Brainard keeps failing to explain Flubber to Betsy. Alonzo Hawk figures out Brainard's secret and looking to make a bundle off of Flubber. However, Brainard wants to give his discovery over to the government.This black and white Disney film is fun magic for the first hour. Fred MacMurray is full of charms. I really like the small town feel. It's so much fun. The only drawback is the involvement of the military. It doesn't feel like the right fit for a fun family movie. Also it doesn't make sense that people still don't believe him after seeing it in action. The second half does have its silly charms and its idiotic fun.

While the film may be a little too short and it occasionally is a little slow, it is still very entertaining. In general, the film does look very nice indeed and the special effects are fun and interesting especially with Flubber and the car. The soundtrack is infectious too, while not consistently hilarious The Absent Minded Professor is always very amusing, with some funny scripting and especially the classic scene at the basketball game. The storyline is interesting too, Fred McMurray is perfect in the lead role and Nancy Olson is appealing. Overall, very entertaining film and much better than the very mediocre 1997 film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

A man creates flying rubber in his garage using gamma rays, blissfully unaware of what gamma radiation can do to the human body. A stupid but enjoyable comedy from Disney, with MacMurray well cast in the title role. Olson is his ever-patient fiancé. Interestingly, the movie careers of MacMurray and Olson peaked in a pair of Billy Wilder classics, "Double Indemnity" and "Sunset Blvd.," respectively. This film is aimed at the kiddie set and they should find it generally amusing. The basketball game is funny initially but becomes repetitive, thanks to the uninspired direction. The last part in Washington seems to be tacked on just to make sure the movie is long enough.

Disney made this movie in 1961. "The Absent Minded Professor" is about, well, see the title!!!!! He makes this flying rubber stuff known as "Flubber," and it can do many things from bounce off walls to making automobiles fly in the sky!!!!!This was seen in two versions: the colorized version, which I recall played on the Old Disney Channel so many times, and the B&W version, the version that I had seen first. My family rented this original version on VHS back in January 1998.And now, check out what I found in the trivia section: a recipe for Flubber:"To one pound of salt water taffy add one heaping tablespoon polyurethane foam, one cake crumbled yeast. Mix till smooth, allow to rise. Then pour into saucepan over one cup cracked rice with one cup water. Add topping of molasses. Boil till lid lifts and says 'Qurlp'."As Bill Nye says, "Well Now You Know!!!!!"10/10