Customer Reviews

Young Einstein (1988 Film)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I didn't like this film much the first time I saw it back in 1989. I remember the hype surrounding it, because it was the fourth highest grossing film in Australia at the time...but a hit among Australians didn't automatically transfer to American sensibilities. It was just a goofy comedy with some outrageous characters and plot, that featured some awesome Australian music. This is one of those rare films that have grown on me over the years, as I now appreciate its quirky sensibilities and see it as a great tribute to Albert Einstein. Instead of making a film that's a loyal representation of Einstein's life, the director and star, Yahoo Serious (a pseudonym that unfortunately has the shelf life of a fruit fly) created a unique interpretation of Einstein as an Aussie who discovered the theory of relativity by accident when trying to add bubbles to beer; and then he accidentally creates rock and roll music a year later, in the early part of the 1900s. Its seriously goofy fun that no one should take literally. The humour is distinctly Australian, so that might be hard for Americans to appreciate, but for an Aussie-film fan like myself, I love it.

What stands out in this film the most is the choice of songs and how they are used in the film, which is quite exceptional. My favorite being the Icehouse rock anthem tribute to the land down under, "Great Southern Land". The scene it plays in could very well be a rock video, a la Midnight Oil or something. Music really carries this film a great distance from a plot that's not quite so well developed as it should be. Einstein using a guitar to defuse an atomic bomb at an exhibition in Paris, thereby electrocuting himself to cartoonish effect, is the only flaw in this movie for me. That was just too off the wall absurdity that should remain in the cartoon-land of Wile E Coyote...but its the only flaw in this film for me. I don't know if Yahoo Serious is still doing films, but this one pratically guaranteed that he would be forever remembered as Young Einstein...the movie-world's equivalent of a one-hit wonder. With a name like Yahoo Serious...you can't be serious. The only thing this dvd lacks are some special features that would have been nice (especially any music videos and a director's commentary track)...but I'm glad to see it finally made it on dvd, to replace my well worn VHS copy.

I found "Young Einstein" to be so, so so side-splittingly funny, I almost died laughing. More so, because my wife is an astrophysicist.

I think that this movie should be required viewing for all physicists.

The scene with the cats in the pie is possibly the #1 or #2 absolute funniest scene in all of movie history, way up there with the best of the Marx Bros, Monty Python, early Woody Allen, Charlie Chaplin, etc.

The fantastic romance of young Einstein and young Marie Curie is one of the most memorable screen romances, up there with Bogie and Katherine Hepburn, Lara and Dr. Zhivago, Cleopatra and Antony, Stella and Stanley, Howard Stern and his wife, Linda Hamilton & the Terminator #2, even the one with Meg Ryan as Einstein's (Walter Matthau) daughter ...

Who cares if none of it ever happened in the real world? I'm sure that the real Albert would have fallen off his chair from laughing so hard, if he'd been alive to see this take on his fame and discoveries.

Young Einstien was made in 1988 and filmed in Australia. The actor/creator Yahoo Serious plays a young, slightly airheaded young Albert Einstein, whose family quest has been to do something mankind has never accomplished: put bubbles into beer. Naturally, this involves splitting atoms. Albert's father insists he take his new theory, also known as E=mc2, to Sydney and patent it. In Sydney, Albert meets Marie Curie (Odile le Clezio)and is duped by an ambitious Englishman named Preston Preston (John Howard). He must find a way to escape from the mad scientists' ward at the nuthouse and stop Preston from building an atomic bomb. How does he do that? He invents rock and roll!

I first saw this movie when I was a teen--my parents picked it up at the video store and told me I had to watch it. Six years later, with a number of science classes under my belt, I'm enjoying it even more. If you're versed in scientific theory and history, or even if you're not, this film will shine. The theory itself is all fact, but for the twists, and is depicted in a truly understatedly brilliant manner. The mutated theories of the greatest scientists in the history of mankind are melded with Yahoo Serious's sense of slapstick comedy for a product that reaches through to all audiences. If you're looking for a smart, laugh-out-loud movie, I'd highly advise you get this a try.

Yahoo Serious (yes, that's his legal name) made this film in 1988, when I was three years old. I've seen it seven times, and I love it!

This film is often considered to be terrible, as are Yahoo's other two movies. I believe that is because people don't understand Mr. Serious' sense of humor. His films are witty and satirical, and his comedy involves a fascinating blend of physical humor and intellectual jokes.

I think this movie is incredibly funny, and if you like it rent or buy Mr. Accident and Reckless Kelly. No, Yahoo's hair doesn't look like that all the time, and no, Einstein didn't invent 4/4 time. But see this film anyway.

I've practically grown up on this movie since I was 11, and I never fail to find something new in every viewing. Full of surprisingly subtle satire and intelligent commentary (really!) under the slapstick, there is more, much more than meets the eye here. Others see a silly, pointless movie; I see a unique and refreshing kind of filmmaking. The cenimatography itself is worth the rental price--not bad for a movie that director yahoo had to sell almost everything he owned to make! :)

"Young Einstein" is now considered a cult movie,and it easy to see why. Approach it with an open mind and you'll be amazed at what you'll find!

Being an Aussie, I can see why old Yahoo Serious appeals to us lot and not many others. Like Vegemite, he's an acquired taste. Young Einstein might have left a bad taste in some mouths, but the soundtrack should have your ears ringing in delight. 100% playful and with some mighty tracks from The Saints and Big Pig (whatever happened to them?) and even some choice pop titbits from Paul Kelly and Icehouse. I saw this when I was barely 11 and never saw it again, but the soundtrack remains fresh and vital to this day! Invest. Now!

I thought the movie was very funny, but I that the segment with "Great Southern Land" by Icehouse counts as a great music video all by itself in the middle of the movie.

I don't know if this movie helped the band or vice versa, but Icehouse played that song at the Olympics in Australia.

And yes, the movie is silly, but fun.

This is a very odd movie. What if Einstein were an Aussie trying to put bubbles into beer? What if he hooked up with (a cute) Madam Curie? Let's have him invent Rock and Roll while he's at it.

Definitely a cult classic with constant weirdness and imperfections, but a truly funny and enjoyable watch.

Ok this is one of those sick pleasures that likely wouldn't work for anybody else. So like many comedies it might or more likely will not work for you. This is just a silly , strange approach to picking characters from history and using them completely out of context with no sense for reality. But this does have a lively charm and music video vibe that carried me through the story. The soundtrack is one of the best and picks some great music, which might even be better than the movie.

This show will leave you laughing and wanting more. I have watched it over and over again, and always noticed something new with each viewing - there is a lot of very overt humour, but also some subtle stuff stuck in there that you really need to be paying attention to the movie in order to catch. The sound-track is rockin' and Yahoo Serious as Einstein is charming and naive. If you are fond of goofball humour, don't miss this one!