The Man with Two Brains poster & wallpaper

David Warner, James Cromwell, Kathleen Turner

Meet Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (Steve Martin), the famous brain surgeon. Perhaps the name is not unfamiliar, though it is unpronounceable; the good doctor is the inventor of the celebrated "screw-top" me...( read more  read more... )thod of brain surgery, in which the top of the skull twists off as easily as the lid of a pickle jar. The man may be a medical genius, but his talent for love leaves something to be desired, which explains his marriage to a gold-digging vixen (Kathleen Turner). Ah, but Dr. Hfuhruhurr may yet find true love, in the form of the disembodied brain he discovers in the lab of a mad scientist--David Warner, gone the Frankenstein route. (Lovely image: Hfuhruhurr in a rowboat, taking the brain out for a romantic ride on the lake.) Thus, in its own utterly goofy way, does The Man with Two Brains delve into the eternal dilemma of male indecision: does a man fall in love with a woman's body, or with her mind? Along the way, of course, there are gags both highbrow and very, very lowbrow, a mind-body split that might be why critics have tended to prefer the more sophisticated slapstick of All of Me (directed, like this film, by Carl Reiner) and Roxanne among the early Steve Martin outings. Still, this is one of Martin's funniest pictures, and a game Kathleen Turner, fresh off her Body Heat success, ably spoofs her own sultry image. The cerebral love object is voiced by Sissy Spacek. --Robert Horton

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58% liked it

28,555 ratings

R, 93 min.

Directed by: Carl Reiner

Release Date: June 3, 1983

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DVD Release Date: March 30, 1999

Stats: 908 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (908)

  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    When Martin was funny, he was very funny!
  • Passenger1986
    August 29, 2009
    Passenger1986
    I miss the old Steve Martin, the one who didn't stoop to such comedic lows like the new Pink Panther films. Why can't we see more films like this one coming from such a genius?

    One of the overlooked Martin films, the film deals with a brain surgeon (our man Martin), who marries ...( read more)Dolores Benedict (Kathleen Turner, who does really well here) but finds himself attracted to a brain in a jar (Sissy Spacek, who went criminally uncredited for her delightful role) in the laboratory of Dr. Alfred Necessiter (David Warner, who I'd like to see get more work).

    Confused yet? Don't worry, this film takes the Back To The Future approach of using science in a fantastical way but doesn't dumb it down and just has fun with the whole thing. If you are a fan of that trilogy, you may enjoy seeing the approach again. I certainly did, its one of the films strengths.

    Not only is the plot a bit on the science-fiction side, some of the jokes are wacky and off the wall too (and again, work in the film's favour). Who could forget Dr. Hfuhruhurr's request of the little girl to call a hospital and she responds with her own medical opinion? Or the scene in which Dr. Hfuhruhurr asks his beloved and departed first wife Rebecca for a sign that he shouldn't marry his new love and she does just about everything in her power to get him to re-think and he still doesn't see a sign (if memory serves, Orgazmo would do something similar years later).
    My personal favourite joke is this line, after Dr. Hfuhruhurr (the pronunciation of which is a recurring joke, it's spelled how it sounds) finds out his new bride has plans to kill him: "You kill me and I'll see that you never work in this town again".

    While one of the themes of the film is old hat (love someone for their mind, not just what they look like), I overlook that because Steve and Sissy's characters work well together. Hell, her character Anne Uumellmahaye has an equally unpronounceable last name, except to Dr. Hfuhruhurr, which makes their pairing that much the better.
    They do what regular couples would do, except one is a brain in a jar. It's funny yet cute at the same time.

    There are times when I think people need to sit down with Steve and force him to watch his old comedies and get the hilarious Steve back out. I say start with this, it does wonders for me.
  • thmtsang
    July 14, 2007
    thmtsang
    Steve is funny in this movie. He falls in love with a brain.
  • garyX
    July 14, 2007
    garyX
    Dated but very funny Steve Martin vehicle full of hilarious lines and surreal slapstick. One of his best.
  • Deano78
    July 11, 2007
    Deano78
    A very funny if strange film. Not a Steve Martin fan but probably one of his best films.
  • lezmartin
    October 11, 2009
    lezmartin
    To stupid to laugh at....
  • timonthemeerkat
    September 18, 2009
    timonthemeerkat
    I'm giving this the title of "My Favorite Steve Martin Movie Ever". I think this little gem deserves it.
  • miniborat
    August 25, 2009
    miniborat
    saw a long time ago but good!
  • HellsOwnAngel
    August 24, 2009
    HellsOwnAngel
    This is one of my ALL TIME favorite movies!!!
  • AusChic
    August 23, 2009
    AusChic
    Quiet silly, but funny movie.

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  • kindangel19
    September 27, 2006
    kindangel19
    Did ever think about talking to a brain? Not a person! The actual brain!If you wanna see what that looks like, u should watch this movie! It doesn't mean the movie is lame! It's funny in a stupid kind of way!
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The Man with Two Brains Trivia

  • In "The Man with two Brains" what is the number of the brain STeve Martin falls in love with?  Answer »
  • In what movie does Steve Martin play a newly-wed doctor who isnt getting any action from his wife due to headaches?  Answer »
  • steve martin had two of these  Answer »
  • what movie has the line..oh, pointy birds, oh pointy pointy. anoint my head, anointy nointy?  Answer »
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