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Steve Martin, Kathleen Turner, David Warner, Paul Benedict, Richard Brestoff ... see more see more... , James Cromwell , George Furth , Peter Hobbs , Bernard Behrens , Earl Boen , Jeffrey Combs , Jenny Gago , Bernie Hern , Stephanie Kramer , Sparky Marcus , Frank McCarthy , Don McLeod , Estelle Reiner , Adrian Ricard , Kate Sarchet , Wendy Sherman , Warwick Sims , Sissy Spacek , Tom Spratley , William Traylor , Natividad Vacio , Perla Walter , Diane Peterson , Haunani Minn , David Byrd , Peter Elbing , Oceana Marr , Breck Costin , Randi Brooks , George Fisher

Steve Martin and Carl Reiner concoct one of Martin's best comic vehicles with Martin playing the world's top brain surgeon, Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr -- he ought to know, he said so himself. Hfuhruhurr p... read more read more...ioneered the radical new cranial screw-top technique, but he grieves over the untimely death of his wife Rebecca, carrying around a small plastic likeness of her to get through the long and lonely evenings. Thinking of her while driving home, Hfuhruhurr takes his eyes off the road and runs down the beautiful but deadly Dolores Benedict (Kathleen Turner). Hfuhruhurr performs surgery which saves her life, but as she recovers, Hfuhruhurr doesn't realize Dolores is a gold-digging vixen who has driven her latest husband (George Furth) to death by apoplexy. She is now looking for a new victim and Hfuhruhurr fits the bill. They marry, but Dolores denies her husband sexual favors, which frustrates Hfuhruhurr to distraction. He takes Dolores on a belated honeymoon to Austria, where he meets fellow brain surgeon Dr. Necessiter (David Warner), who keeps a wide assortment of brains in his laboratory. Dolores takes the opportunity to have an extramarital affair, and when Hfuhruhurr finds out he dumps her. But in Necessiter's laboratory, Hfuhruhurr becomes attracted to Brain #21, Ann Uumellmahaye (voice of Sissy Spacek), with whom he communicates telepathically. At last, here is one case where a man loves a woman for her mind rather than her body (which doesn't exist)! But Ann's brain is deteriorating rapidly; Hfuhruhurr needs to find a body and transplant the brain quickly in order to save Ann. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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57% liked it

31,621 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

20 critics

R, 1 hr. 29 min.

Directed by: Carl Reiner

Release Date: January 1, 1983

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DVD Release Date: March 30, 1999

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Stats: 1,014 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,014)

  • blkbomb
    August 21, 2011
    blkbomb
    Michael Hfuhruhurr: I am making a citizens divorce. By the powers vested in me, I hereby declare our marriage null and void! Ipso facto, coitus interuptus! 

    "So funny, you'll laugh your head off"

    The Man with Two Brains is a decent comedy until Steve Martin starts dating a brai... read moren in a jar. I can say I almost liked the movie. It had a few scenes that were laugh-out-loud funny. But then the jokes start getting repetitive; for example with Steve Martin's character name. Every other sentence would be a joke about how no one can pronounce it. It gets old after awhile, especially when the joke wasn't all that funny the first time.

    This is nowhere near Martin's best(Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Jerk) but also nowhere near his worst(Pink Panther, without a doubt). It's somewhere in the middle. It has it's moments, like most of his movies. It's really stupid, like most of his movies. It's also hard to completely hate because everyone involved knows it's stupid and their having a lot of fun making it. 

    In the end it's an average comedy at best. Kathleen Turner makes it a little more pleasant to watch; even with her playing a bitch. Martin is his normal self, so you know what to expect there. Funny enough, but I don't think you'll laugh your head off.
  • ajv2688
    January 14, 2011
    ajv2688
    A weird plot, but for the most part it's pretty funny, and I enjoyed it.
  • theylovealexis
    October 4, 2010
    theylovealexis
    I'm starting to have a whole new level of love for Steve Martin, so I've been watching his movies more lately. I just watched this one and I thought it was such a good idea and so fun. It's funny and romantic. The evil broad gets hers. The science is good and the inner zombie in ... read moreyou will be saying "braaaaains" though the whole thing.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 13, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Eeeww
  • briandeguelle
    December 5, 2009
    briandeguelle
    Steve Martin at hes early best.Shame hes not that funny anymore.
  • 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 moreDolores 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.

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Critic Reviews

Clint Morris
January 24, 2006
Clint Morris, Moviehole

Martin at his zaniest

Rob Thomas
May 27, 2005
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Hit and miss sci-fi comedy.

Nell Minow
June 19, 2003
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Martin's best comedy.

Brian Mckay
March 19, 2003
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com

A dumb but fun comedy that is infinitely more tolerable than Martin's later work

Jeffrey M. Anderson
January 17, 2003
Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner

Hilarious. Underrated Martin.

Ken Hanke
December 1, 2002
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Sometimes hysterical, but it thinks it's funnier than it is.

Karina Montgomery
August 15, 2002
Karina Montgomery, Cinerina

Shamefully underwhelming

Scott Weinberg
July 25, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Martin's at his wildest and craziest in this seriously silly sci-fi spoof.

January 1, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

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Facts

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    • Dolores Benedict: Get those assholes off the porch! [about the hired-help, standing next to potted plants, awaiting the couple at the door to the Doctor's mansion]
    • Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr: Huh! [laughs naively] They're called azaleas.
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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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