... Its true story, filmed and acted with great skill, has an uncommon poignancy.
Flash of Genius (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 102
Fresh: 59
Rotten:43
Average Rating: 6/10
Consensus: 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.
Theatrical Release:Oct 3, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $4,234,040
Synopsis: Veteran producer Marc Abraham makes his feature film debut with FLASH OF GENIUS, based on a true story set in Detroit and spanning multiple decades. Dr. Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear) has a good... Veteran producer Marc Abraham makes his feature film debut with FLASH OF GENIUS, based on a true story set in Detroit and spanning multiple decades. Dr. Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear) has a good life. A respected college professor who teaches electrical engineering, he has a lovely wife (Lauren Graham) and six great kids. But first and foremost, Kearns is an inventor. In 1967, he built the intermittent windshield wiper, dubbing it "Kearns' Blinking Eye," and ultimately shared his patented specs with Ford Motor Company so that he could manufacture the wipers for them. Then he spends his life trying to get Ford to admit that they stole his idea when he spots his invention on Ford cars after they bail out of the deal with him. Kearns isn't after money. In taking on one of the most powerful corporations in America, if not the world, Kearns wants Ford to tell the truth and give credit where credit is due. At the same time, he wants to protect the patent process for every inventor. Kinnear gives a nuanced performance as Kearns, a quirky, church-going family man and professor who slowly descends into paranoia and obsession with reaching his goals. Graham fits the bill as a loving but independent wife and mother who finds herself competing with her husband's quest. Dermot Mulroney is solid as Kearns's childhood friend and early business partner. And it's a treat to see Alan Alda as a justice-seeking lawyer who may or not be able to live up to Kearns's high expectations. FLASH OF GENIUS is based on a John Seabrook article that appeared in The New Yorker in 1993, and his later book of the same name. [More]
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney, Alan Alda
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney, Alan Alda, Mitch Pileggi, Bill Smitrovich
Director: Marc Abraham
Director: Marc Abraham
Screenwriter: Philip Railsback, Scott Frank, Marc Abraham
Producer: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Michael Lieber
Composer: Aaron Zigman
Studio: Universal Pictures
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Reviews for Flash of Genius
As in all films that make the questionable move of placing him front and center, Kinnear just blends in with the wallpaper.
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
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.
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.
There is depth, there is complexity, there is authenticity to this character.
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.
Seriously undermined by the skeletal script, which barely develops the characters and unintentionally raises more questions about Kearns's quixotic battle than it answers.
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.
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.
As filtered through screenwriter Philip Railsback's pen, Kearns' extraordinary life is rendered...well, ordinary.
Greg Kinnear's performance drives an old fashioned and satisfying David vs. Goliath picture.
I wouldn't say that the new film Flash of Genius is terrible. It's actually not that bad. However, it could have been so much better.
Try imagining the pitch for Flash of Genius: "It's a true story about the guy who invents the intermittent windshield wiper blade."
Latest News for Flash of Genius
March 17, 2009:
Five Favourite Films with Greg Kinnear
How do you describe the career of a guy who started as the host of Talk Soup on E! and within five years was Oscar nominated for a role opposite Jack Nicholson? Greg Kinnear is... More...
February 16, 2009:
RT on DVD: High School Musical 3 or Midnight Meat Train?
It's a good week for mediocre films (Body of Lies, Changeling, Quarantine and Flash of Genius, which all walk a fine line between Fresh and Rotten) and an even better one if... More...
October 02, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Chihuahua to Overtake Multiplexes
Hollywood kicks off the fourth quarter with a stampede of new releases that will test the elasticity of the marketplace. Ambulances are already on standby to rush the high... More...
September 02, 2008:
After 15 Years, Abraham's Flash of Genius Strikes ![]()
Why make your directorial debut on a movie about the guy who invented the intermittent windshield wiper? For Marc Abraham, it came down to a matter of principle. More...
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