Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 105
Fresh: 62 | Rotten: 43
The touching underdog story of a single guy against a massive corporation, Flash of Genius is a well-paced and well-written tale with a standout performance by star Greg Kinnear.
Average Rating: 5.2/10
Critic Reviews: 28
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 18
The touching underdog story of a single guy against a massive corporation, Flash of Genius is a well-paced and well-written tale with a standout performance by star Greg Kinnear.
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Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 5,406
Greg Kinnear stars in director Marc Abraham's man-against-the-system docudrama Flash of Genius as inventor Robert Kearns, the visionary who developed the modern intermittent windshield wiper. Kearns submitted the invention to each of the big three auto companies, each of which promptly rejected it; the companies then turned around and put the device to use. The enraged inventor spent several decades attempting to collect on his patent, and mounting lawsuits that traveled all the way to the
Oct 3, 2008 Wide
Feb 17, 2009
$4.2M
Universal Pictures
All Critics (107) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (65) | Rotten (43) | DVD (4)
If it doesn't rise to the level of It's a Wonderful Life, it's because Marc Abrams is no Frank Capra. And after all, this isn't about angels, it's about windshield wipers.
Nothing too special here.
There is depth, there is complexity, there is authenticity to this character.
Seriously undermined by the skeletal script, which barely develops the characters and unintentionally raises more questions about Kearns's quixotic battle than it answers.
Too much technical information about circuit boards, Motorola transistors and U.S. patent laws eventually takes up more screen time than Kearns' sympathetic story, leaving the viewer restless and bored.
In the end, Flash of Genius abandons its most interesting story line - Kearns v. Kearns - for a reliance on formula.
Kinnear is outstanding as Kearns, physically conveying the stubborn, scruffy sense of resolute ethics that drives him at the expense of almost everything else.
Kinnear inhabits the terrifically uncomfortable role of the rabbit staked out in a clearing to attract wolves.
... Its true story, filmed and acted with great skill, has an uncommon poignancy.
As in all films that make the questionable move of placing him front and center, Kinnear just blends in with the wallpaper.
Kinnear's hauntedness reminds us how sadly infrequently he gets to show off his deeply intriguing dramatic chops.
Ethics is at the heart of this David and Goliath story based on fact; a powerful story with a resonant emotional punch, but the storytelling is long winded with an emphasis on detail for detail's sake
Extras on the disc include a full-length audio commentary by director Marc Abraham and a set of deleted scenes.
It's as if the filmmakers are too nervous about making a mistake, so consistently take the safe path, draining the movie of colour and leaving us sympathetic but uninspired.
Following a twelve-year patent dispute regarding the invention of the intermittent windshield-wiper motor, it's not as interesting as it sounds.
A thoughtful inquiry into the doubtful benefits of pursuing one's ideals 'to the end of the line,' as they say in Double Indemnity.
On its simplified terms of one man against the machine, the movie works, thanks almost entirely to Greg Kinnear's performance.
You may find yourself staring at your windshield wipers in fascination after you see "Flash of Genius," whichi s based on the real-life story of a "little guy" who went up against a corporation.
Considering how predictable the story was, Flash of Genius was a fairly good film to watch. I had some minor issues with the film, and I thought that the film though good, wasn't as good as I'd thought it is. Robert Kearns seeks to be compensated and brings a lawsuit against the Ford Motor Company for patent
August 21, 2011
Super Reviewer
Somewhat plodding but a good central performance by Greg Kinnear.
April 17, 2010
Super Reviewer
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