Lots of gimmicky silly comedy mixed in with some good special effects but cliched characters who just armed enough to make a good film. This remake of the 1959 Disney classic is modernize so it looks like so many other films of the 90's that were better and more original. Even the opening skills from an older movie, the breakfast making scene of "Pee-wee's Big Adventure", with music by the same composer, Danny Elfman. Then there's the robot contraption that flies around, utilizing scenes of old films and TV shows to express a feeling. It's not really very original, and doesn't even gained many laughs.

Disney is still at Medville College, the fictional small campus of the original, and apparently there's no one around who remember what happened in 1959. Nutty professor Robin Williams has created this green goo that can do all sorts of miraculous things, even help there pitiful basketball team win games. It can make bowling and golf balls become lethal weapons, makes cars fly and is a great way for Williams to embarrass the heck out of his romantic rival, the nasty Christopher McDonald.

There's also a subplot involving obnoxious student Wil Wheaton whose father has basically paid for him to get a raise so he can get into Harvard later. These characters are so horrible to watch that even the home alone like villains who work for the father just aren't amusing. So many rip off gimmicks and little heart. Marcia Gay Harden is the college dean who's in love with Williams, accidentally stood up at the altar by him three times, and the one-dimensional McDonald is out to break them up.

There are a couple of great sequences, particularly when the flubber gets lose and flies around the area, crashing through windows and doing all sorts of neat tricks. But there's no real magic, because we know this is all CGI and manipulated rather than done with the same type of heart that the original Disney effects were done with. This really makes the film seems phony in so many ways and the actors are simply going through the stages while the computer does the rest. There's also a force manipulation with the pod like robot Reno voiced by Jodi Benson that serves the same purpose that Tinkerbell did in Peter Pan. A few magical moments get some Alapplause for me, but there's not enough magic to make me applaud for Rebo.

Phillip Brainard (Robin Williams) is the absent-minded professor. Chester Hoenicker (Raymond J. Barry) threatens to close the college run by his girlfriend president Sara Jean Reynolds (Marcia Gay Harden). He keeps forgetting to go to their wedding and she vows that this is the last attempt. His work with a new compound as an energy source can save their college. He has a mechanical assistant Weebo. His hated old partner Wilson Croft (Christopher McDonald) visits after stealing all of his ideas and now is after Sara. Chester's son Bennett (Wil Wheaton) is failing Brainard's class and he expected his father had already bought the grades. Chester sends his henchmen Smith (Clancy Brown) and Wesson (Ted Levine).

There are a lot of good possibilities that don't pan out. Weebo is not cute and a bit of an annoying jealous brat. There is an uncomfortable man-machine love story. Also he has a flying robot. HE HAS A FLYING ROBOT! That is probably enough to keep the college going. Professor Brainard is not lovable enough. Christopher McDonald is too good at being creepy and I can't buy anybody even liking the guy. MGH is not likable either. There are too many broadly unlikeable characters. The Flubber itself is fun for a little while and Williams has good imaginary chemistry with an imaginary object. It allows him to have some physical humor. Although it gets very repetitive. There is only so much Home Alone slapstick that should be repeated. It's also very stupid that people saw the basketball game without figuring it out. This should be funnier but it's not.

I admire Robin Williams.His quick,improvisational humor make him the most unique entertainer of our time.However,he does from time to time make bad choices,and Flubber was indeed a bad one,at least scriptwise.This movie's problem is not from bad performances,but from terrible writing,and that often makes the performers look bad.The intentions here are good,but the movie just fell flat in all aspects.If you want to see a movie about flubber,I would highly suggest "The Absent Minded Professor".It's a classic and it's much better.