Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-23 17:58:37

The Jerk Finally Got Widescreen So Why Not The Man With Two Brains?

The Man With Two Brains is a hilariously funny movie! Steve Martin is very funny and Carl Reinger is a great director! But I'm very disappointed with this DVD. It's just an edited pan and scan version and the same thing was done with the first DVD release of Carl Reiner's and Steve Martin's other hilarious movie The Jerk, but this year a new widescreen DVD was released for The Jerk and I was hoping that a new widescreen DVD would also be released for The Man With Two Brains but unfortunately it hasn't happened! I really would love a widescreen DVD! As it is this is a 5 star movie on a 1 star DVD!

2012-05-23 11:28:44

awesome in an 80's late night movie sorta way

This review is from: The Man with Two Brains (DVD) Steve Martin is so funny and so underrated, it's a shame. Only 'The Jerk' rates higher on my Steve Martin comedy-o-meter. He has a very distinct sense of humor, so if you're a fan you'll love this movie. One of my top 10 favorite movies of all time. Yes, it's that good.

Bill Slocum 2012-05-21 18:00:00

Finger Sucking Good

Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (Steve Martin) is a man who appreciates thefiner things in life: Verses by the finest one-armed poet in history, alast name that can't be pronounced, a screwtop brain surgery procedurethat has made him probably the greatest practitioner of all eternityand beyond (though he wouldn't like me saying "probably"), and a secondwife with the body of Kathleen Turner and a mind of pure, golddiggingevil."The Man With Two Brains" is a genius comedy, pure and simple, a farcethat's a takeoff both of '80s revamped film noir flicks like "ThePostman Rings Twice" and "Body Heat" and of mad scientist movies. Itlacks the heart of "Young Frankenstein," but otherwise has a Mel Brooksapproach to comedy that values rapid-fire gags over script sense andcharacter development. And it has Martin, working his "Saturday NightLive"-honed wild-and-crazy-guy mojo for maybe the last time, and togreat effect.Kathleen Turner steals the movie as vicious Delores Benedict, a womanwho marries for money and then tortures her husbands to the point ofapoplexy, and hopefully, a premature reading of their wills. When fatebrings them together, as Dr. H (not writing it out again!) runs herdown in his car, only Dr. H himself has the expertise that can saveher. There was another doctor, but he was murdered in Europe by astrange elevator killer, meaning as Dr. H points out, "not only is hedead, he's 6,000 miles away!"Turner plays much the same character she did in "Body Heat," raisingthe on-screen temperature to the boiling point as she sucks Dr. H'sfinger as substitute for sex. The plain joy she gets from herlibido-teasing cruelty is one of the funniest aspects of this veryfunny film. It's not that she needs to have sex with strange gardenersand bellboys, you see, it's just she so relishes the pain it will causeDr. H when he finds out. But she wasn't prepared for Dr. H turning thetables on her when he comes across the telepathic brain of a gentleyoung woman he met in a black-market laboratory who shares his passionfor singalongs of "Under The Bamboo Tree."Why isn't "Man With Two Brains" more appreciated? Probably because atthe time people thought Martin would keep doing silly comedies forever.He was still doing television specials in the early '80s, like "AllCommercials" and "The Winds Of Whoopie," and people took his madcapantics for granted. Who could have guessed that he would settle so soonafter (following the classic "All Of Me") into a comfortablemiddle-aged rut of feel-good comedies relieved only once by theglorious excess of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels?" It's high time popculture rediscovered this glorious treasure, and maybe reminded Martinwhat made him so special to begin with.Okay, I could do without the music. There's also some sequences thatare lamer than others, like one near the end that references thepinball/video game craze of the period. But even the dumber lines("Leaping lizards!") have a kind of madcap charm. Director Carl Reinerknows how to have fun, and there are some sequences that are flat-outbrilliant, especially the dialogue. I love the look inside Dr.Necessiter's condo (amazing what a few throw pillows can do) while Dr.H and his host have their big debate about the ethics of stealingbrains.Dr. H: The only time we doctors should accept death is when it's causedby our own incompetence.Dr. Necessiter: Nonsense. If the murder of twelve innocent people canhelp save one human life, it will have been worth it.Even the gratuitous nude scenes come with good jokes, like theprostitute with the grating voice and love of Gene Chandler music. Thebest line in the movie is one I can't repeat, except it involves thedownside of putting the brain of the woman Dr. H loves in the body of agorilla.You will laugh a lot watching "The Man With Two Brains." If you don't,you are watching it with the wrong brain.

mtiller12 2012-05-21 06:30:47

Martin's second most wackiest comedy

This is most indeed Steve Martin's second most wackiest comedy after "TheJerk". Everything about this movie has zip, craze and certain kind offrantic in the pace, which makes for an absouloutley lovable comedy. Thestory centers round Dr Michael Hfuhruhurr (Steve Martin), spelt Haf-far,heis most probaly the worlds greatest brain surgeon, he is rich and famous.But Michael has emotional problems and his wife died some time ago, thoughlucky Michael ends up meeting the evil, sexy and seductive Delores(KathleenTurner), who is a gold digging "Scum queen". They supposedly fall in loveand get married, though Michael sensing some problems thinks it is goingdown hill and thinks a honey moon to Europe would help and so he andDeloresgo.The Man With Two Brains has two stories, one involves what I said aboveandanother takes place around Europe where Michael ends up falling in lovewithhis research, a human brain! It is Romeo and Juliet as their love isforbiden and Michael goes to extreme lengths to ensure they remain in eachothers arms, okay that was a bad excuse.What makes The Man With Two Brains so great is the colourful, eighties,eneergetic look that adds the crazy wack to the movie. There are manycomedic sets in the movie e.g the condo, scenes in Hfuhrhurr 's hospital.Any movie in which Steve Martin stars is bound to be watchable, but whatMartin did back here was he would overact a lot more, he would not do hiseveryman thing, he is indeed crazy, his eyes in this movie shows a lockedupgenius with a crazy edge. The character of Hfuhruhurr is a very unlikeableperson, but with Martin playing him he is the good guy, he makes you wanttocome out of this with his loved one. Kathleen Turner is also a comicdelightas she does a little micky take of "Body Heat". Screen play wise this isalso one of Martin's best as it is witty and full of excellent scenarios.Aswith any classic comedy there has to be a funny scene that stands abovetherest, the scene at the beginning in the car is excellent, Hfuhrhurr: "Canyou tell me what you wrote, I believe I may have sounded snobbish?"Interviwer: "My research is the some of the greastest the world has everseen and in that way will proably so ever plant my reputation as a greatproffesor for all eterntity" Hfuhrhurr:"No it didn't sound snobbish...Takeout the probably though. Makes me sound wishy washy."Now that is excellent Martin, he does it with every film, not everyodywouldget that. Another hilarious thing about this movie is it's music, it is socorny and cheesy but without sounding annoying it is just plain funny.Bottom line is, this is one of Martin's landmark films, a film which hasvisula look, brilliant pacing, trademark manic peformance by Martin andmemorbale scenes that stick in the mind. Absoloutley wack, crazy, wild,funny and hilarious.

2012-05-20 20:57:43

This movie lives in its own world

Like some Shakespeare (Midsummer Night's Dream) and Caddyshack, this move exists in itself and there is nothing of any worth outside it, while you watch it. By far Steve Martin's best movie.

Lee Eisenberg 2012-05-20 09:59:09

brain power all the way

I'll admit that I like "The Man with Two Brains" the least of the SteveMartin-Carl Reiner collaborations (the others were "The Jerk", "DeadMen Don't Wear Plaid" and "All of Me"), but it's still a hoot, even ifit does run a little long. Featuring him as a surgeon befriending abrain (voiced by Sissy Spacek), he's a little more subdued here thannormal, but his interactions with some people are great, and I likewhat happens to his hair occasionally.So, even though it's not quite "All of Me", "TMWTB" is still a comedyfor the ages. It's got brain power to the max! Also starring KathleenTurner, James Cromwell, and even Estelle Reiner and Merv Griffin insmall roles."Scum queen"...what a line!

2012-05-19 17:07:47

Fair movie sans basic dvd features...

This review is from: The Man with Two Brains (DVD) Itz a decent movie... not very funny as it says on the title cover. As i am a fan of Steve Martin, i kinda liked the movie. But i was really dissappointed when i found out that the dvd didn't have english subtitles (as mentioned in dvd details) option on it and further no dolby digital 2.0 stereo sound, again as mentioned in it's details. The dvd only had Mono sound. So without these two basic dvd features, it was as if it were on VHS tape. Poor!

2012-05-19 06:55:30

What happened to great movies like this?

You don't see movies like these any more. Steve Martin is one of my favorites, and this is probably his best movie after the Jerk. If you want a good laugh, watch this movie.

sibelian 2012-05-10 09:34:30

The Best Steve Martin Movie

Yes, the very best of them all.I love over the top stuff if it's done properly, and this highly-strungmovie froths with it. It has the kind of nervous silliness that makeseverything in it funny whether the punchlines are "good" or not.Kathleen Turner OWNS this movie.And...I can't help it. I know it's stupid, but I think it's romantic, fallingin love with a brain in a jar. And she's such a *nice* brain in a jar.And... and, and, and I like their little song, and I think it'sromantic when he says at the end: "What fat?", and David Warner'sfunny.So there."If *I* lika you and *you* lika me..."

2012-05-09 22:17:54

Absolutely hilarious!

Some people say that The Jerk is Steve Martin's funniest movie, but I think this one is even funnier. I've seen it dozens of times and it always cracks me up.I've gotta go out now. I sure hope Merv Griffin isn't hiding in my elevator...

2012-05-05 13:14:17

Steve Martin is a must-buy.

Even his worst movies are at least good. But this movie is a classic of his. A dark-style comedy that makes you laugh throughout most every scene. It's Steve Martin as a brain surgeon, think of the possibilities. Well, I did and when I watched the movie I was glad that I bought it. Now you can be glad too, after you buy it, of course. Because it surely is worth it.

johnstonjames 2012-05-04 19:11:02

A Sci-Fi Fairy Story And Psychological Morality Play. Waxed Absurdist, of Course.

Whenever i get a chance to see this one (which is not too often) ialways find myself a little befuddled, but always amused by the wholething. as silly and ridiculous as much of this gets, i always sense acerebral (i know ha ha on so many levels) quality to it and it's story,especially if you so choose to take it to a higher level. why not. asthis movie defies a certain amount of explanation, you might as wellsee it any way you choose.this movie has always had a strange effect on me. when i first saw itback in the 80's i remember being struck by the fact that it seemed alot weirder than 'The Jerk'. that's saying a lot since 'The Jerk' ispretty off the wall. i remember thinking that "quirky" and "oddball"didn't quite describe what i saw. i even thought this was weirder than'Weird Science'. and 'Science' is weirdness pushing the envelope ofsanity. i kind of dismissed 'TMWTB' as the fact that Hollywood andartist types are always kooks. as i got a bit older i took moreinterest in children's literature, fairy tales, nursery rhymes and folklore traditions, as well as classic older cinema works. when i saw thisfilm again it struck me as even more crazy weird. and also ripe forpsychoanalysis. so much of the aim of it's effectiveness seems to bepsychogenic in the very nature of it's message of psychometry. i knowthat sounds like a pretentious mouthful of words, but i just don't knowany better way to describe this. and yes, i know, i like to play Poppsychologist.i'm probably going to run out of my word minimum here, so lemme put itsimply. in a sense this movie was the first 'Shallow Hall'. love shouldknow no boundaries of physical observation you know blah blah...starting to get it? it's not hard if you've had some basic psychclasses at a Jr. local.and as for Steve Martin's brain surgeon protagonist? um. that's not acharacter in a story, that's some kind of pyschohistorical text of themale sex. men are visually stimulated sexually, have ego attachmentissues and so on. we've heard it all before. especially from frustratedfeminist types. this whole movie is told from a psychodynamic andpsychoanalytical perspective that simply rattles the unconscious. andthe funny bone.because all in all, it's main attempt is at humour. which i personallythink it succeeds with great finesse. Steve Martin is a brilliantcomedian and very adroit at physical comedy. Carl Reiner is also a veryfunny man although sometimes he can fall a little flat as a filmdirector, like in his early venture 'The Comic'.this is also a farcical send up of 50's sci-fi films like 'Donovan'sBrain' and 18th century pot boiler literature. probably not best tothink about this film too much. it just gets too trippy. it's mostlyfor ticklish fun. relax. enjoy. but this eccentric comedy probably hasmore, ahem , "brains", than it's given credit for.

2012-05-04 01:52:03

Fun

You can tell this movie cost nothing to make, but who cares. This movie was just plain fun. I got it for $10 and felt it was worth every penny. Why can't comedies contain the pure lunacy that this film obtained. If your tired of Leslie Neelson Naked Gun rip off comedies than give this a try.

2012-05-03 11:48:23

Hilarious!

Both Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner are wonderful in this absolutely bizarre comedy. Martin's early films are still his best. He did some great work with Carl Reiner. This and "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" are classics.

2012-05-02 06:20:53

My Favorite Martin Film

This review is from: The Man with Two Brains (DVD) I like virtually all of Steve Martin's films, but this one has to be my favorite. It is slick, well acted, well photographed, clever, well-written, and brings out Martin's style of comedy very well. Highly recommended.

robot-cat 2012-05-01 14:48:40

someone get that cat out of here

i love this film.perfectly silly.I'm going to name my next cat Dr. Hfuhruhurr in homage.7/10

2012-04-29 08:02:09

Thoughts of kissage...

Ah... "In Dillman's Grove..." If I could only have one Stevie movie, this would be it, with All Of Me as a very close second.TMWTB comes at you like a runaway train, hitting you with an unrelenting series of ridiculous situations and gags. The first time through I had to actually stop the tape twice because I was laughing so much I was having difficulty breathing.This is classic Martin and a landmark in modern comedy. Only Woody Allen can possibly rival Steve for sheer lunacy. In Two Brains he is also backed by a stellar supporting cast, including a stunning and vampish Kathleen Turner (looking for a new man to torture) and David Warner as Doctor Alfred Necessitor. Yep, pretty well all of the names are utterly ridiculous.Everything from the dysfunctional hotel elevator, which stops four feet short of each floor, forcing Steve to crawl out, to the hooker with the mind-numbingly abrasive voice (Duke duke duke duke of oil, oil, oil...) just keep you reeling and seriously wondering if you will survive to the end.This is nothing less than a work of art and one of the best comedies of any type in the history of the known universe. For people who have never seen it, I truly envy you. You are in for the treat of a lifetime. It still slays me after all these years, but the first time through is just devastating.Ah... the breeze feels good...

mdm-11 2012-04-28 21:50:49

Another "wild & crazy" Steve Martin Show!

Steve Martin is in his element, able to use all of his comic talents,including song & dance, juggling and acrobatics. The script isdelicious, including many one-of-a-kind lines that will be longremembered and credited to this film.This is the bizarre "Frankenstein-like" story of a self-important brainsurgeon in search of true love, who eventually finds it in a glasslaboratory jar. The wicked wife (played perfectly by Kathleen Turner)and the parade of walk-ons are hilarious. Although the story isridiculous, the comic nonsense will keep the viewers' attention. Theawful (fake) German spoken by the "locals" in the Austrian setting isoutdone only by the over-the-top situations. The elevator-murdererside-plot (and the eventual revelation of identity of the killer) arewonderfully amusing.One serious flaw is the fact that the Steve Martin character neverrises above the selfish-pig level. To the end, he is interested only inhis own wants and needs, willing to murder so he could have the"perfect" wife. This extreme selfishness may put viewers off (it didme). Otherwise, this is one big Steve Martin Special!

2012-04-24 08:56:43

Nice movie, bare bones DVD

This is a nice Steve Martin movie, with some good laughs. It's enjoyable and funny. Not the funniest thing ever, but certainly not bad. I'd give it 4 stars.The DVD is the simplest I've seen. The sound is in mono (! ), there are no special features, no subtitles, nothing. There is a scene selection menu, which is entirely textual. There's supposed to be close captioning, but I have no idea how to get at that. I wish they had normal subtitles.In short, there's a reason that this DVD is inexpensive, but this doesn't detract much from the enjoyable movie (except that I would have liked subtitles, as English is not my native language, and having things spelled out helps).

2012-04-23 17:27:04

My favorite Steve Martin film betrayed by mediocre DVD.

This review is from: The Man with Two Brains (DVD) I encourage anyone who likes Steve Martin in ANYTHING to get this; I believe it's easily his most consistently funny film, and actually has something to say about relationships. I believe, at the time, "All of Me" was a more "successful" Steve Martin film than this, and conveyed basically the same message. Coming after the funnier and more original "The Man with Two Brains," that film seemed very derivitive and inferior to me. I paid more for the shipping on this purchase from one of the Amazon affiliated sellers than I did for the actual DVD, so I don't feel as bad; but, I would have been willing to pay full going rate if I would have had the option of buying this in the original format, instead. I would feel like a chump to pay more than $2 plus shipping for any motion picture that was re-edited by some hack technician. Given that we are the universe of people who care enough about cinema to buy individual titles on DVD, I am angry that they don't give us enough credit to be willing to watch them in any format other than what fills up a standard aspect ratio television tube. It feels like the only restaurant in town deciding that we, the public, are too pedestrian to appreciate anything that can't be offerred as all-you-can-eat, trough-style.