FLUBBER
Inventor saves the day in a safe, funny family comedy.
Should You Watch It?
You can take the whole family to Flubber without worrying about major objectionable material. The movie celebrates Christian marriage, discourages fornication, and shows hard work serving both love and a struggling college.
The entertainment comes from Robin Williams’ energetic performance, imaginative special effects, visual gags, and the chaos caused by an elastic green invention. The opening takes at least 20 minutes to establish the characters, so younger viewers may grow restless before the mayhem begins. There is also some slapstick violence and a questionable basketball shortcut that the story does not fully correct.
If your family enjoys broad comedy and flying objects, this is a safe holiday picture with a good moral center. The practical answer: Flubber is worth the trip for families of all ages.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESProfessor Phillip Brainard is so absorbed in his scientific work that he forgets important dates with Sara, his sweetheart and the president of financially troubled Medfield College.
On the day they hope to marry, Phil creates flubber, a green, elastic, morphable compound that can fly when stimulated by electricity. His discovery might save the college—but it also attracts the attention of a financier who wants control of the school.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means Flubber is an enjoyable, well-made family comedy with a few storytelling and moral flaws. Robin Williams brings energetic humor to the role, while the movie moves quickly once the setup is complete.
The special effects make flubber appear animated and almost alive, and children will enjoy watching it take human form, dance, and fly out of control. The basketball sequence provides especially amusing visual comedy, with players flying through the air and performing improbable feats.
The opening is slow for younger viewers, lasting at least 20 minutes as the characters are introduced. The explanation for flubber’s lifelike behavior is also unclear. Still, the slapstick humor, visual gags, and inventive effects make this a solid family picture.
The Worldview
Flubber presents a moderate Christian, moral worldview. It extols Christian marriage by showing Phil and Sara wanting to marry in a church. It also discourages fornication when Sara rejects a premarital secret weekend with Wilson. Hard work is honored as Phil labors through the night to win Sara back and help save Medfield College.
The film also contains moral complications. Phil secretly uses flubber to give the basketball team an unfair advantage, and although WEEBO questions the honesty of the practice, Phil is not chastised or punished. The story also shows Phil becoming deeply attached to his female robot companion. That attachment is not sexual, and WEEBO even helps Sara understand Phil’s love for her, but Phil’s profound grief over WEEBO’s “death” is somewhat disconcerting.
The movie’s central longing is for faithful love and a lasting marriage. Scripture calls husbands to sacrificial love: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Moderate Christian, moral worldview where Christian marriage is extolled, fornication is rebuked, sacrifice & hard work are rewarded, & evil is brought to justice, with a romantic subplot; 2 uses of the word “damn”; action slapstick violence including man hit by golf ball, man hit with bowling ball, lots of Flubber flying around and breaking things, man falls out of window unharmed, woman punches man, robot hits man, man hits robot, & explosions; no sex; upper male nudity & implied nude modeling; no alcohol use; no smoking; and, some minor miscellaneous immorality including man accidentally swallowing Flubber which is excreted out comically, a dishonest practice by leading man & leading man becomes too attached to his own creations.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Phil’s work repeatedly interferes with his hope of marriage. How can love and responsibility shape the way we use our time?
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 · Ephesians 5:25Phil uses flubber to help the basketball team win, even though WEEBO questions whether the practice is honest. Why does a good goal not make every method right?
Proverbs 12:22 · Colossians 3:9The film presents hard work as part of saving both a relationship and a college. What kind of work has God given you to do faithfully?
Colossians 3:23–24 · Galatians 6:9Phil grieves deeply over WEEBO. What is good about caring for what we create, and when can attachment become unhealthy?
Genesis 1:26–28 · Matthew 6:19–21The Final Word
Flubber offers families broad laughs, imaginative effects, and a clear celebration of marriage, hard work, and moral living. Minor concerns remain, but they do not overwhelm the film’s wholesome appeal. For a safe family comedy, WORTH THE TRIP.
