The Man with Two Brains

1983 comedy

Rating: 10/20

Plot: Neurosurgeon Dr. Hfuhruhurr, still mourning the loss of his wife, falls in love with a woman he runs over while giving an egotistical interview. He saves her life thanks to his screw-top technique and marries her. Unfortunately, Dolores Benedict is incapable of love and is more than likely planning on murdering Hfuhruhurr for his money. Now I'm not sayin' she's a gold digger, but she ain't messin' with any broke neurosurgeons. And she won't consummate the marriage, leaving Hfuhruhurr frustrated and unable to focus on his work. They honeymoon in Europe where the doctor falls in love with a brain in a glass jar that he can communicate with telepathically. If only there was a body in which he could put this beloved brain! Oh, snap!

Moderately funny movie with jokes ranging from nearly clever to far too obvious. At times, it seems like a middle schooler wrote this which is only good for the gratuitous nudity or partial nudity, mostly involving the sultry Kathleen Turner or, more accurately, Kathleen Turner's body double. This wears out its welcome kind of quickly and turns into nothing more than an excuse for Steve Martin to wave his arms around in an exaggerated way like he does in every movie or television show he's in. Don't get me wrong. Steve Martin waving his arms around in an exaggerated way is hilarious! This is dumb comedy, patched together and flailing and predictable, and although there's definitely a place for dumb comedy, this is nowhere near a classic of the genre. Paul Benedict plays a butler.

4 comments:

Barry said...

Ah how sad.....I loved this movie in the 1980's and still think its a great comedy. Its got a lot more hits than misses, and certainly brings up the comedy quotient quite a bit more than modern comedies like The Hangover or The 40 year old Virgin. You didnt like Citizen Divorce Time or Turners constant headache?

Its not a perfect movie, and certainly throws in some clunkers, but its a very funny movie...I give it a 17.

cory said...

Oh, this one makes me sad. I think a 10 is way too harsh. There are a few misses, like the pinball bit, but most of this film is fun and freakin' hilarious. I think the "damn, your drunk tests are hard" is one of my favorite lines, ever. Your stance on nudity mystifies me, and that fact that you found this completely irreverent and off-the-wall film predictable must make you a mystic. An 18.

cory said...

I meant to say Barry was right, at the beginning of the above.

Shane said...

If it helps, I almost gave this an 11 because I'd just given that Jim Carrey movie a 10...

Not predictable? Maybe it wasn't as predictable when it was released. I don't know. You didn't figure that his wife was eventually going to die and get the brain with the pink juice? Anything that wasn't predictable was just a left turn that didn't need to be in there anyway (like when his new wife ends up as a chronic overeater).

I had no problem with the nudity. That made it worth my time.