Young Einstein
A naive Tasmanian inventor travels to Sydney with a bubble-making scientific breakthrough, only to find his comic genius and impossible invention coveted by profiteers.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- None
- witty
- absurd
- irreverent
- family movie night
- nostalgic comedy viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found Yahoo Serious charismatic and the Australian comic premise distinctive, but judged the uneven sketch-like writing and one-joke structure unsuccessful.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Albert Einstein and Marie Curie appear in a fictionalized comic world centered on splitting the beer atom.
The story begins in Tasmania and follows an awkward Australian hero whose charm is tied to the film's local sensibility.
Early twentieth-century scientific figures and atomic research are presented alongside rock and roll energy and exaggerated sight gags.
The beer-atom discovery motivates Albert's journey to Sydney to patent it while unscrupulous characters pursue the invention.
Films like Young Einstein, and why
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
absurdist comedy, playful historical distortion, and an eccentric outsider protagonist
The Man Who Knew Too Little
whimsical science fiction comedy, broad sight gags, and an innocent inventor confronting opportunists
The Gods Must Be Crazy
goofy period-set invention comedy with an optimistic, childlike sense of wonder
The Castle
Australian comic sensibility, slapstick, and a charmingly naive central character
Movie Details
- Director
- Yahoo Serious
- Release Date
- 1988-12-15
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 5.3 / 10 (179)
Cast
- Yahoo Serious
- Odile Le Clezio
- Ian "Peewee" Wilson
- Su Cruickshank
- John Howard
- Christian Manon
- Basil Clarke
- Adam Bowen
- Russell Cheek
- Lulu Pinkus
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Young Einstein about?
- A naive Tasmanian inventor travels to Sydney with a bubble-making scientific breakthrough, only to find his comic genius and impossible invention coveted by profiteers.
- What is Young Einstein like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Young Einstein as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Young Einstein violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Young Einstein.
- What did critics think of Young Einstein?
- Critics broadly found Yahoo Serious charismatic and the Australian comic premise distinctive, but judged the uneven sketch-like writing and one-joke structure unsuccessful.
- Which films are like Young Einstein?
- Films with a similar feel include The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Man Who Knew Too Little, The Gods Must Be Crazy, and The Castle.
- How long is Young Einstein?
- Young Einstein runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch Young Einstein?
- In United States, Young Einstein is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
