The Man with Two Brains (1983) User Reviews (104)

Amusing and fun comedy for Steve Martin's fans

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 25 June 2005]

The movie deals with Steve Martin a famous surgeon married to sexy and greedy Kathleen Turner but he meets a scientist (David Warner) who makes human experiments and falls in love with a brain in a jar (with the voice of Sissy Spacek) and he immediately begins searching a house for living . It's a silly remake to 1950 terror science fiction films and specially to ¨Donovan's brain¨ (Curt Siodmak) , even appear some frames on the movie .

This is a film for Steve Martin enthusiasts but has the brand of his own humor : the comedy is crazy and savage . In the film there is tongue-in-cheek , irony , wild humor , giggles , profanities and is quite entertaining and funny . This is the third of four films that actor Steve Martin has made with director Carl Reiner , the other movies are The jerk (1979) , All of me (1984) and Dead men don't wear plaid (1982) . And second and final of only two ever produced screenplays that were co-written by George Gipe who co-wrote this film along with director Carl Reiner and actor Steve Martin . Here Steve Martin interprets in his peculiar style , as always . Kathleen Turner , recently her acting in ¨Body Heat¨ repeats the role as the evil and nasty loveless married wife . The picture is rated ¨R¨ for partial nudity , a little bit of violence and profanities . The motion picture was professionally directed by Carl Reiner . Rating : Acceptable and passable .

Hilarious

[LuboLarsson · 7/10 · 5 May 2002]

Probably Steve Martin's funniest film. Its packed with really funny laugh out loud moments. Its so over the top you can't help but love it, and Kathleen Turner puts in a terrific performance too. When I first saw this film the tears were rolling down my cheeks with laughter, Steve Martin is a very gifted physical comedian and this movie was perfect for his talents. If you are feeling down in the dumps then check out this film, it will cheer you up no end. I'm surprised by its low rating on IMDB I reckon its a classic of its genre and one of the all time best comedy films. ***7½/10***

serious laughs

[ICLOSEM · 8 February 1999]

The Man With Two Brains is definitely one of Martin's best films to date. This film makes you laugh from the git-go, and does not let up until the credits are rolling. Ok...ok...the film is pretty stupid, but it was meant to be that way. Ok...ok...the film had a weak plot...who cares! Martin put on a great comedy act, his best since The Jerk. I've seen this film five times and still laugh every time.

Wild and crazy

[counterrevolutionary · 7/10 · 10 January 2003]

Steve Martin and Carl Reiner (*The Jerk*) reteam for this generally amusing, sporadically hilarious, and only occasionally stupid spoof of Disembodied Brain Flicks.

If you like Martin's comedy antics of the period (arrow-through-the-head, bunny ears, "King Tut," etc.), you should enjoy this movie. If not...not.

As a bonus, you get Merv Griffin in a funny and quite unexpected cameo, David Warner making silly noises, and Kathleen Turner in various items of scanty clothing.

Super-dooper uneven and unpolished,...but still very funny

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 13 July 2006]

Wow, was this an incredibly funny and incredibly uneven film. Like THE JERK, this is a certain roughness about the script that make it very fresh and appealing but also pretty amateurish and stupid from time to time as well.

Also, when I saw the film, I watched it with my grandfather. This was a very uncomfortable experience, as seeing an adult comedy with nudity in it with an 80 year-old relative just seems creepy. But, he sure laughed his head off, so I guess I was just the one with the hangup.

Anyways, Steve Martin plays one of the foremost brain surgeons, Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (pronounced "Hrrrr-rrrr-rrr). The way everyone had trouble pronouncing the name was pretty lame and was beaten like a dead horse. Well, despite this, the doctor has perfected the new "screw top" method of surgery and saves a beautiful lady (Kathleen Turner) from sure death.

They fall in love and marry soon after. But, Kathleen seems intent on driving the doctor crazy, as she never seems willing to consummate their marriage. This lead to some very funny but crude jokes, by the way. However, despite her many excuses, he catches her being unfaithful many times and yet can't bring himself to divorce her.

It is during this same time that he meets a very strange man, Dr. Alfred Necessiter (David Warner) who is doing unethical experiments with brains--wanting to put them in new bodies and revive them after the bodies had died. Necessiter's lab, by the way, is the coolest on the planet--you'll just have to see it to understand what I mean. For some inexplicable reason, Dr. Hfuhruhurr hears a voice coming from one of the brains! It seems they brain isn't quite dead and they fall in love (the scenes of them out on dates are priceless).

But, what to do about the evil and unfaithful wife as well as this brain he's fallen for?!? Yep, you gotcha, the "Windex Killer" helps solve the problem and almost everyone lives happily ever after. And, since you probably have no idea what all this means, watch the movie yourself to find out and laugh out loud at all the silliness and high energy.

Not bad, but best for the die-hard Steve Martin fans

[philip_vanderveken · 6/10 · 25 March 2005]

Steve Martin as well as Leslie Nielsen are best known for their completely absurd comedies. The more insane the idea, the better it seems to be and I must say that I can appreciate their kind of humor. With "The Man With Two Brains", you'll see a movie that has been inspired by horror movies like Frankenstein, but that doesn't mind about the horror genre's conventions of course...

In this movie Steve Martin is a rich and recently widowed brain surgeon called Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (I guess no-one really knows how to pronounce it, but you can give it a try of course), who has invented a new technique that will make brain surgery a lot easier: the cranial screw-top brain entry. He injures Dolores Benedict in a car accident, but is able to save her life by operating her by using his new technique. She recovers and he falls in love with her. They soon get married, although she doesn't love him (she only wants him for his money), but he still yearns for his previous wife. When he finds out that she was murdered by 'The Elevator Killer', but that her brain was saved by the mysterious Doctor Alfred Necessiter, he starts a platonic relationship with his dead wife's bottled brain.

Of course you can't expect any serious acting or a great story in this movie. This just isn't the kind of movie that needs that. This is an absurd comedy and everything, no matter how strange, can be expected. Even though I liked the movie, I must say that it certainly isn't the best example of this kind of comedies. It had some potential, but I've seen a lot better before and that's why I give it a 6/10. This is only for the die-hard fans of Steve Martin.

The brain surgeon

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 19 June 2006]

Carl Reiner, the director of this film, and Steve Martin, an actor who has collaborated in some of the projects they've developed, are reunited again in this funny satire that has not been seen as much as it deserved. Mr. Reiner, one of the funniest creators in the industry, was in rare form when he decided to go ahead with this movie.

The film is a perfect vehicle for Steve Martin, a comedian that without the proper material tends to go overboard. As the notorious Dr. Hfuhruhurr, he is at his best performing the material. One of the funniest sequences in the film involves a hat that has been stuck around his middle as his delayed honeymoon gets an unforeseen delay.

Steve Martin gives a great performance as this mad scientist that has perfected a new technique in brain surgery. The gorgeous Kathleen Turner makes perfect foil for Mr. Martin's antics as she plays the calculating Dolores. David Warner, a man not notorious for his comedic roles, is a surprise with his Dr. Alfred. Paul Benedict, James Cromwell, Peter Hobbs, and even Merv Griffin, are seen in supporting roles.

This is a funny film with sharp dialog and fast pacing thanks to the talented Carl Reiner and his star, Steve Martin.

Clearly, viewers either love or hate this movie

[ctnow · 10/10 · 21 November 2003]

Even among Steve Martin fans, there are those who love his "zany" work (MWTB, the Jerk), and consider his more "commercial" hits (All of Me etc) a sellout, and those who see it the exact opposite.

I love this movie. I am amazed when I view it for the 73rd time and still fall down laughing.

I hope saying this doesn't sound smug, but I suspect those who don't find it funny are missing a lot of the jokes. The fast pace and dry delivery of a lot of hysterical lines are the best part of the movie.

I'm a Steve Martin fan, and this is easily my favorite Steve Martin movie (and possibly my favorite movie of all time - being able to always make me laugh no matter how down I am is worth a lot!)

brain power all the way

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 14 August 2006]

I'll admit that I like "The Man with Two Brains" the least of the Steve Martin-Carl Reiner collaborations (the others were "The Jerk", "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" and "All of Me"), but it's still a hoot, even if it does run a little long. Featuring him as a surgeon befriending a brain (voiced by Sissy Spacek), he's a little more subdued here than normal, but his interactions with some people are great, and I like what happens to his hair occasionally.

So, even though it's not quite "All of Me", "TMWTB" is still a comedy for the ages. It's got brain power to the max! Also starring Kathleen Turner, James Cromwell, and even Estelle Reiner and Merv Griffin in small roles.

"Scum queen"...what a line!

A No-Brainer With Not One, But Two Brains

[strong-122-478885 · 3/10 · 10 October 2012]

This mediocre Sci-Fi/Comedy from 1983 was so funny that I honestly forgot to laugh.

It didn't help matters much that I'm not a Steve Martin fan. His annoyingly goofy screen-persona tends to either bore me, or irk me off a lot. In this picture Martin's dumb histrionics did both.

Of course, I can't say that the "Man with Two Brains" was a total waste of time. There were some genuinely funny moments in this film. Like, for instance, there's one real gem when the doctor ventures down to the "red light" district of town desperately searching for a hot enough body to house that brain that he's been storing in a glass jar of liquid preservatives - And it's here that he meets up with the hooker with the squeaky voice.

In my opinion, Kathleen Turner's performance as the doctor's sleazy, whorish wife was just as lousy and unfunny as anything that Martin did in the film.

Ranks Right Up There With Martin's Funniest

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 10 June 2006]

Here is another Carl Reiner-directed "farce" that also stars Steve Martin (the two collaborated before in the '80s in "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid"). This is the best of that duo with a lot of laugh-out loud scenes. There are tons of gags, both obvious and subtle. In fact, I think is one of Martin's funniest performances. Kathleen Turner, his co-star here, played a similar role in another black comedy "Serial Mom." There, too, she played a woman who appeared to be nice on the outside but was evil inside. Turner also liked to show a lot of skin in those '80s flicks, which included "Body Heat."

I had remembered this as a strictly light comedy but was surprised when I viewed it again this year and heard all the sex jokes. Reiner turned out to be a dirty old man but he write and direct some very funny movies. It's unusual for a comedy to be rated "R," but that was the appropriate rating. If you know and don't care if its a bit raunchy, this is a very funny movie.

Very crazy

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 6/10 · 2 March 2005]

Well, what can you say about this movie? It's very strange, but very funny at the same time. Steve Martin, I'm not really sure if his role was meant to be comedic or psychotic. But the story is interesting. Kathleen Turner is a great villain. The whole scene with Steve and the brain on the boat in the lake was a bit... disturbing. I wasn't sure where the movie was going after that. It's not a bad movie, but nothing I'd really watch again. Because it is very strange. The acting, directing, and editing isn't bad. I'm not sure what this movie was getting to, or if it had a point. It's just something you have to be in a certain mood to watch it. Other than that, it's all your's.

6/10

Was this supposed to be funny?

[tspence · 1/10 · 28 February 2003]

I found this movie dull as tripe. I could constantly recognize that the people on the screen were trying to make jokes, but why? What purpose did these attempts at humor have?

It didn't help anything that the movie was edited as if it were a sequence of stock footage spliced together at random. One scene would not lead into another; you would just suddenly be wherever the cameraman happened to wake up.

The movie probably had what the writers thought would be running gags. A cat in the operating room! The surgeon goes "Somebody get that cat out of here!" Laughs and hijinks, right? ... Without the comic timing, it goes nowhere. The cat joke is repeated over and over, each time seeming like a throwaway line that desperately wants to be funny.

Perhaps the only way to laugh at this movie is to think of the poor investors who lost money on this film.

Classic on Par with the Marx Brothers

[chconnol · 10 September 2003]

What ever happened to Steve Martin's talent? In the name of becoming a Hollywood "Player", Mr. Martin sold his soul to the suits in the business and thereby squandered his true talent: wacky, irreverent comedy. The fact that "The Man with Two Brains" didn't do well at the box office probably made the studio heads decide that Martin's talents were not selling. Mr. Martin therefore may have panicked in some way and decided to "sell-out" and do the dreadful treacle that he did later and keeps on doing like "Parenthood", "Roxanne" (a particularly pretentious entry of his), "Leap of Faith" (the most blatant of of bids for the ridiculously overrated "Oscar") and the forthcoming (as of this writing) "Cheaper by the Dozen". In "The Man With Two Brains", Steve Martin is so on target in virtually all his scenes that the movie becomes truly inspired. Like the great Marx Brothers' movies of the early to mid 30's, he creates a universe all his own. The movie has it's own unique rhythms and is consistent throughout. He and the rest of the great cast never get sentimental. They keep the whole thing amazingly light and truly (God forgive me for using this word, but it applies )Zany. The entire cast has to be noted for keeping up with Steve Martin including Kathleen Turner giving a great comic-villanous performance, Sissy Spacek as the voice of his beloved "brain" complete with a bizarre name and, most notably popping up COMPLETELY unexepectedly, MERV GRIFFIN! His entrance into the movie simply pushes the whole thing into comic overdrive. There's a number of great comic set pieces and almost all of them work brilliantly. My favorite has to be Martin's meeting up with a knockout blond prostitute. Let's just say that she's got a great body but her voice is....well, just wait and see. A truly great comedy from a man who could've been one of the great enduring comic geniuses of our time but who instead sold out and lost his calling. A tragedy...

Simply put: Steve Martin/Reiner's Frankenstein

[Horror-yo · 7/10 · 23 January 2017]

In one phrase of a couple of words, that's the best way I could find to nail down what this film was.

If you've seen Steve Martin at all, not necessarily in films he's part of the writing crew but if you've seen him, you'll know his presence always brings about an element of utter randomness at times bordering on clownish performances and flat-out surrealism. So you're warned when you know he both stars and co-wrote this one. It's one of those films that clearly separate the viewing public in two: those who will be sensitive to it, and those who won't understand how this was ever released and why people have given it any consideration.

If you know Martin as a writer now, you'll understand exactly what this is if you refer back to my title. His stories always contain an outrageously passionate love story at the center of it bordering on (or fully in) madness, set in remote places/with random strange things occurring consistently.

This one is just about good enough to make you laugh, enjoy the story and concept, and have a genuinely good time.

6.5/10

A fun, zany parody of 1950's Sci-fi Mad Scientist B-movies.

[The-Last-Prydonian · 7/10 · 6 February 2023]

Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (that's Hfuhruhurr) is a brilliant neurologist and brain surgeon, who owing to a car accident, runs into the conniving, femme fatale, Dolores Benedict. Rushing her to the hospital, Michael performs life-saving surgery using his revolutionary screwtop method of entering the brain which saves her life. Falling in love with her, the two of them marry, with Dolores having her own scheming intentions in doing so. An eventual business trip abroad sees Michael crossing paths with a fellow neurologist, Dr. Necessitor who introduces his own revolutionary brain experiments. As a result, Michael in doing so meets Anne, a disembodied human brain being kept alive by Dr. Necessior, and comes to have a big impact on his life greatly.

The comic creation of both Steve Martin and fellow comedian and co-writer Carl Reiner, who took up directing duties. 1983's The Man of Two Brains holds up pretty well, forty years after its theatrical release as a fun, albeit unremarkable parody of old 1950s comedies, and the tropes utilized by the historical genre of its ilk (a neat little reference to the 1953 B-movie, Donovan's Brain, acting as a knowing wink to this). It potentially owes a debt as well to screwball comedian Jerry Lewis, and his renowned Screwball comedy, the Nutty Professor. At times hilariously OTT, Martin finds the right balance at times to play it straight, while retaining the right amount of absurdity. A trademark of movies like Jerry and David Zucker's classic, Airplane, along with Kentucky Fried Movie. With Kathleen Turner on hand, who is in deliciously malevolent and manipulative form as his beautiful but cold and calculating wife. The movie rolls along at a brisk pace, as Martin and Turner both chew the scenery at times with some panache. It's really, as it enters into its final act, that laughs proceed to get a tad less thin on the ground and the movie comes close to derailing itself, but Martin just manages to keep the momentum going well enough so that it doesn't completely derail itself. With veteran actor, David Warner lending, some further solid, deadpan support as Dr. Necessitor, and an uncredited Sissy Spacek, of the 1976 Oscar-winning, Carrie fame providing the voice of Anne, The Man with Two Brains is a fun, zany romp that hits the mark, more than it misses. Look out as well for actor James Cromwell as well, as B-movie Horror icon, Jeffrey Combs of Re-Animator and From Beyond fame in brief cameos.

"I've had the top of her head off, but that's as far as it went."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 26 November 2022]

"The Man with Two Brains" came out during Steve Martin's wild and crazy period of the Eighties, and the movie lives up to the zany comedian's off the wall brand of humor. In it, he portrays world famous brain surgeon Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr, with the picture getting as much mileage as it can out of trying to pronounce his impossible last name. The title may be a bit of a misnomer, because midway in the story, we're introduced to Dr. Alfred Necessiter (David Warner), whose collection of brains in jars sets Hfuhruhurr into spasms of delight, particularly when one of them begins to communicate with him via some sort of unexplained verbal telepathy. You really don't have to explain any of this nonsense in a Steve Martin film, you pretty much just take it for granted. Among the scenes played for diversionary laughs are the 'Duke of Earl' girl (Randi Brooks) with the unusually caustic voice, and the revelation of the Elevator Killer, who to this day remains at large. But the biggest kick I got out of the entire picture was that early scene when Dr. Hfuhruhurr gives the young girl an impossibly long set of directions to call a hospital and she repeats it word for word without batting an eye. You have to read director Carl Reiner's recollection of that scene in IMDb's trivia notes for this movie, and how he ran into that actress over three decades later.

murmur... murmur... murmur

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 2 May 2016]

Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (Steve Martin) is a self-proclaimed world's greatest neurosurgeon. He still pines for his late wife Rebecca. He accidentally runs over ruthless gold digger Dolores Benedict (Kathleen Turner) with his car. He uses his cranial screw-top brain surgery on her and then marries her. She's more interested in the lawn boy than him. They go to Vienna for a conference and their honeymoon. Serial killer 'Elevator Killer' is on the loose. Hfuhruhurr is befriended by Dr. Necessiter (David Warner) who has been getting brains from the Elevator Killer and keeping them alive in jars. Hfuhruhurr has had enough of Dolores and finds that he can telepathically communicate with the jarred brain of Anne Uumellmahaye (Sissy Spacek).

Carl Reiner and Steve Martin unite in another one of their broad ridiculous comedies. It is non-stop amusement. It's also a matter of tastes. They're smaller laughs but the lines don't stop. The main change I would want is David Warner. He's a great dramatic actor but I wish they had a comedic actor doing something crazier. Kathleen Turner, on the other hand, is the perfect combination of sexy, evil, and comedy.

Murmur!

[Ben_Cheshire · 8/10 · 17 April 2004]

Policeman: "That woman's not drunk, she's dead!" Dr Michael Hfuhruhurr: "Oh, i better get her to a cemetary right away!"

Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr: The only time we doctors should accept death is when it's caused by our own incompetence.

Shameless madcap farce from Director Carl Reiner (The Jerk, All of Me, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, That Old Feeling) is part romance melodrama, part sex comedy, part thriller, part medical drama, and all silliness. Yet it uses this silliness to touch on a fairly risque philosophical issue - what exactly makes us human? Kathleen Turner is in temptress mode as Martin's new wife who lives to torment men, and forces Martin to seek comfort elsewhere... with a brain in a jar!

Anne Uumellmahaye: I don't think there's a girl floating in a jar anywhere who's as happy as I am.

You have to admire the over-the-top and on-the-edge comedy pairing of Reiner and Martin which produces genuine hilarity, letting-loose fun and general enjoyment for a nice friday night hour and a half (good length too!).

Two thumbs way-up!

Bravo Steve Martin

[apararas · 7/10 · 8 January 2020]

One of the funniest actors stars and cowrites the script.Special effets,good humor timing and another classic fimlm from the 80s.

Desperately Unfunny

[kiwifilm · 1/10 · 27 April 2003]

As much as like Steve Martin, this film is one piece of desperately unfunny trash. How did Martin get conned into doing this junk? As the cover notes on the DVD copy I viewed observe: "Anyone with half a brain will rejoice in the sheer lunacy of this sublimely silly farce..." Unfortunately, only those with half a brain and a purile sense of humour will make it to the closing credits.

I do feel Reiner (the writer / director) is trying to do Mel Brooks but comes up miles short of the mark. But then, Steve Martin doing Mel Brooks... that would be something else!

Hysterical

[film_ophile · 10/10 · 29 January 2005]

I don't know why but it seems that what is 'funny'is about the most difficult thing to agree on. For me, I can count really funny films on two hands(dirty rotten scoundrels; planes, trains and automobiles;marx bros., woody allen,big business; romy and michelle's high school reunion; liar,liar ; monty python's holy grail, and now, The Man With Two Brains .)I can't believe i missed seeing this film up to now, and i'm so glad it was on some film person's recommended list because i have just finished an hour and a half of continuous laughs. what a treat of a screenplay.steve martin is the naive simpleton brain surgeon who gets taken in by devilish scheming wicked witch kathleen turner(such a beauty).a lot of visual gags but it's the wordplay that makes it so continuously funny.(see the discussions part of this site for many of the funniest lines) Boring? No Way. a 10 for me.

A typically madcap, gag-a-minute comedy with Steve Martin

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 3 November 2016]

Steve Martin was certainly a quirky presence in 1980s Hollywood cinema and he was an integral part of some of my favourite movies, with PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES a strong contender for my favourite comedy of the decade. In THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS, he re-teams with THE JERK director Carl Reiner for a typically madcap story about an eminent brain surgeon who falls in love with a black widow.

This is a joke-a-minute type of story that goes for broad laughs over realism. Martin is having a ball with his crazy character and his sheer energy is enough to win the viewer over from the very first scene. I've never been a fan of Kathleen Turner and she plays to type here as an ice-cold sociopathic character and when the two come together the sparks really fly.

I enjoyed the bizarre aspects of the film and the references to previous 'disembodied brain' B-movies. Sissy Spacek's role is warm-hearted and thoroughly unique which comes as a real surprise. David Warner is full of quirkiness as the mad scientist type and the film's increasingly outlandish antics see things end on a real madcap high. While THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS isn't my favourite of Martin's comedies, it's certainly a memorable, high-energy watch.

Nearly worth-seeing for Kathleen Turner's sexy/funny performance...

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 15 April 2006]

Steve Martin works overtime at being likable in this Carl Reiner-directed comedy about the world's greatest brain surgeon who falls in love with a (talking) brain in a jar. Kathleen Turner is his sexy, shrewish wife; David Warner is a mad scientist whose laboratory is in a hotel (!). Shoddy-looking slapstick with much of its emphasis on smutty gags. Reiner and Martin most likely believed this comic material was cutting-edge...so how does that explain the soggy sentimentality in the film's second-half? The dirty jokes are torpedoed and the pace comes to a screeching halt as Martin falls in love, which means less and less of Turner (the picture's one real bright spot). Steve Martin is a very confident and capable screen comedian; he has some funny scenes here, indeed, but in the mid-'80s, pop-crack quickies like "Two Brains" were becoming an albatross around his neck. *1/2 from ****