Movie Review: Flash Of Genius
College professor and inventor Bob Kearns creates the first intermittent windshield wiper. In the process of presenting a prototype, Ford motor company steals the inventors idea after backing out of a deal with Kearns, who spends years fighting the big company in court to get Ford to admit they stole his invention. The story follows the difficulties the obsessed Kearns and his family endure as he goes up against one of the biggest car companies in America.
This real life story might have been more interesting than the screenplay, which does not manage to build on the story enough to make it more interesting. The lead performances in Flash Of Genius by Kinnear, who delivers a fine performance as Robert Kearns, and Graham as his wife, Phyllis Kearns, who is very good doing the most with the little script she is given, make the film worth seeing. The story has its moments but unfortunately there is no real momentum in the last half of the film. The Robert Kearns character should have been more fleshed out for a better understanding of the real life man in the screenplay.
Kinnear and Graham are very talented actors who needed a better script to work with. Flash Of Genius is a good film and uplifting, but not a great film, rent it for the performances and the little guy vs the big guy senario.
2008. Directed by Marc Abraham. Starring Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney and Bill Lake.
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