Product Description

Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell), a handsome but bumbling Medfield College student, accidentally becomes The Computer Who Knew Too Much when he is effortlessly transformed from half-wit to genius in an electriyfing computer mishap. Gamblers, gangsters, and greedy college deans are quick to fight for control of his computer-like brain ... especially when Dexter nonchalantly starts blabbing the syndicate's secrets! A riotous comedy, programmed for hours of laughter and fun!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30002 in DVD
• Brand: Disney
• Released on: 2003-01-14
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 91 minutes

Amazon.com
He's Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell), just a regular-guy college student at Medfield College--until one fateful night he is accidentally transformed into a human computer. His newfound genius makes him an overnight sensation when he gets all the answers right on a college quiz show. This instant celebrity status also brings an instant massive ego, which threatens his friendships as well as his safety. Caught up between battling college deans (Joe Flynn and Alan Hewitt) and a dangerous mobster (Cesar Romero), Dexter soon learns friends are more valuable than money. This movie, released in 1970, is a true romp with silly situations and madcap misadventures. The size of the computer itself is now good for a sight gag. It's likable but goofy, with no real weight. A fun, innocent diversion that the whole family can look and laugh at, each for different reasons. Did people really dress like that? --Peggy Maltby-Etra

Customer Reviews

Computer FTPs Dexter
Kurt Russell plays a student of Medfield College named Dexter. When his class talks the local model citizen/bookie into donating a computer to the college, weird things start to happen. When the computer blows a circuit Dexter volunteers to get the new part. When he returns it is pouring down rain and he doesn't realize the computer got wet too. When he replaces the circuit board and touchs two wires he gets zapped with the computers memory. Now he seems to be the smartest man in the world. When everyone wants him and the bookie will stop at nothing to shut him up, things get funny.

I'm giving the movie five stars for entertainment and my wife gives it five stars for Kurt being so cute then. My wife and I love this movie. The movie is wonderful early Disney comedy at its best. Kurt Russell and the rest of the cast probably had a blast making this movie. Fans of the Disney movies "The Strongest Man in the World" and "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" will want this one too. Great comedy for the whole family. For the price the transfer is decent but the movie would be better in a Platinum Edition with Widescreen, commentary, making of, and other extras.

A little note about the Fullscreen DVD...
This film was FILMED in fullscreen. Just thought I'd let everyone know. It's aspect ratio is 1.33:1, meaning it's a "full frame" film. In order for it to be widescreen, the top and bottom portions of the full frame image would have to be covered with black bars, in order to create a widescreen image. This process is called "Soft Matte". Anyway, the DVD for this film does present the whole image for this movie.

great story, poor DVD, Trivia here
Update - I would like to rate this film higher, I rated it low for the DVD but the website would not let me fix the rating. The movie itself is 4 stars. DVD review 1 star - At the time I review this, the DVD release by Disney left a lot to be desired. So I recommended you save your VHS copy if you were thinking of upgrading until they release a better copy later. Where are the extras, theatrical trailers, behind the scenes, anything?

FILM Review 4 stars - This is the first in a series of 3 movies about a great group of students at the fictional Medfield College, led by the likable Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell). The sequels are "Now You See him, Now You Don't" and my favorite, "The Strongest Man in the World". They were always at odds with the bumbling Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn), who was determined that the kids are up to no good. In this story, the school is in financial trouble, running out of cash. The students and Professor Quigley, (William Schallert), talk a philanthropist businessman (Cesar Romero) into donating a computer to their school, they have no idea he is a criminal boss looking for a place to get rid of it. Then an accident in the lab joins a new computers memory bank into the human mind of student Dexter, making him super intelligent. Soon he is a star, and Dexter's new celebrity status takes him all over the world, even to the United Nations. He is fawned over everywhere he goes, lavished with praise and attention. Of course this makes him start to ignore his friends, but he finally figures out that people are just using him and comes back home to help the school by winning money on a college academic quiz show series where he can win the money to save the school. While they win nearly every game, the bumbling Dean of Medfield really wants to beat his old rival, the Dean of another college. Dexter rolls off every answer with no effort, until a certain question triggers a computer-like response, with Dexter rolling off a series of numbers in an automaton-like trance. Turns out these numbers are from a criminal betting ring that had used the computer at one time. The criminal boss figures out he is at risk and makes Dexter disappear, and his old friend have to try to rescue him. This is a fun family film, with a good storyline full of laughs but not in the slapstick pratfalls that many Walt Disney movies had at the time. It has a lot of heart, with nice pacing and is never boring. Great animated opening title sequence with the catchy title song.

TRIVIA & BEHIND THE SCENES: Directed by Robert Butler. This movie was originally planned for television and so it was filmed in full-screen, but the end product turned out better than they hoped and the studio released it in theatres. It was hugely popular with young people. This movie series helped to make Kurt Russell a big name in Hollywood, this was his 4th Disney theatrical film in addition to his Disney TV work. Kids today would be amazed to see that the computer in the movie practically fills a whole room, but probably lacked the computing power and memory of today's laptops. The original movie poster promoting the film had the tag line, "Programmed for Laughs". Kurt Russell performed for a 45 record of the title song in 1969. By the way, "Medfield College" was also the name of the college in a previous Disney film, "The Absent-Minded professor", it's sequel "Son of Flubber", and the modern Robin Williams version "Flubber". Originally released to theaters in December 31, 1969, it runs 91 minutes long. It aired in two parts on the "Wonderful World of Disney", on September 17, and 24, 1972, and re-aired in 1980. It was broadcast as a 2 hour movie in 1977. First released on video in 1985.