I am currently going through and watching all the old Disney Channel original movies in order and genius was next on the list. I had never heard of it before or seen it obviously and it was OK for the most part but a 30 something woman watching a movie about a middle school aged boy genius maybe just isn't the right combination. It was kind of funny seeing Charlie be Chaz. But haven't we all seen this kind of story a hundred times? At least it wasn't a switching places story or switching bodies or something. Just seemed like a lot of work just to trick some girl you've met once into liking you. Also I don't really understand why it was ok for the northerners to cheat and that nobody seemed to care that Charlie destroyed the ice rink. That has to have been $$$$$ to fix.
17 Reviews
Cute...
RosanaBotafogo4 March 2023
A pair of scientists develop a method of manufacturing geniuses, confining babies in a laboratory, under almost military discipline. Meanwhile, a couple who own a day care center try to prove that babies have their own language and that love is the best way to develop them. Things get complicated when one of the lab babies provokes a riot, runs away and finds his twin, who lives in the crèche. Charlie Boyle finds that even his high IQ can't solve all of his problems when he takes on a double life to make friends his own age.
The film is beautiful, the genius' lines are the best, the script is too delicious, although with the usual bullying...
The film is beautiful, the genius' lines are the best, the script is too delicious, although with the usual bullying...
Clever
BHorrorWriter2 July 2001
Alot of made for TV Disney Channel movies drip with so much sweet, over the top, ewww and gooo, you just don't want to watch them anymore. This was wasn't like that. Clever script, cleverly acted--this movie is by far one of TDC's better movies. Like Luck of the Irish, Smart House, or The Jett Jackson Movie. They are well made, well acted and aren't overly boring.
Trevor MOrgan is excellent as the "genius" playing both Chaz and charlie brilliantly. He is certainly making a man for himself...big movies under his belt will only help this talented 15 year old!
8 out of 10
Trevor MOrgan is excellent as the "genius" playing both Chaz and charlie brilliantly. He is certainly making a man for himself...big movies under his belt will only help this talented 15 year old!
8 out of 10
A pathetic and insultingly childish fantasy set in reality
MovieAddict201621 December 2005
This film has been made dozens of times in other forms. This "Disney Original" idea is a complete laugh - if this is considered original, then I'm Abraham Lincoln. And I can't be Abraham Lincoln because I believe he is dead.
Trevor Morgan (you may remember him as the annoying kid from "Jurassic Park III") plays a complete nerd and mathematical genius who basically lives underneath a school ice hockey stadium. It is there that he constructs magical potions using science and math.
However he realizes he's not exactly catching any ladies, so he adopts the persona of "Chaz" (his real name is Charlie) to woo the ladies - enrolling in school again and becoming a "bad boy" who talks back to teachers and looks "cool." News flash: Kids stopped wearing Fonzie-style leather jackets to school in the 1960s. If anything, it's retro. It doesn't make you look cool. You don't gain instant respect by showing up at school with a leather jacket, a comb and a smirk and talking back to teachers. Today, in the age of gangsta rappas and emo, you would be laughed at and ridiculed. "Chaz" would become an instant outcast and his plan would backfire.
But in "Genius" all the kids are friendly white suburbanite offspring and they love The Chaz. They fall victim to his evil ploy to get some girly-action and even the bad boys at school respect him.
It would be kind of funny if it weren't so sad to actually think some Disney TV executive greenlit this and thought the concept of a 12-year-old high school graduate living in an underground lab who adapts a new persona of a leather-jacket wearing freak would be successful.
Trevor Morgan (you may remember him as the annoying kid from "Jurassic Park III") plays a complete nerd and mathematical genius who basically lives underneath a school ice hockey stadium. It is there that he constructs magical potions using science and math.
However he realizes he's not exactly catching any ladies, so he adopts the persona of "Chaz" (his real name is Charlie) to woo the ladies - enrolling in school again and becoming a "bad boy" who talks back to teachers and looks "cool." News flash: Kids stopped wearing Fonzie-style leather jackets to school in the 1960s. If anything, it's retro. It doesn't make you look cool. You don't gain instant respect by showing up at school with a leather jacket, a comb and a smirk and talking back to teachers. Today, in the age of gangsta rappas and emo, you would be laughed at and ridiculed. "Chaz" would become an instant outcast and his plan would backfire.
But in "Genius" all the kids are friendly white suburbanite offspring and they love The Chaz. They fall victim to his evil ploy to get some girly-action and even the bad boys at school respect him.
It would be kind of funny if it weren't so sad to actually think some Disney TV executive greenlit this and thought the concept of a 12-year-old high school graduate living in an underground lab who adapts a new persona of a leather-jacket wearing freak would be successful.
Shocking! A Good Disney Movie!
Zanatos11 September 1999
I must say, I was truly amazed by this movie. I've been puzzled as to why on Earth I bother watching all the Disney Channel movies. After such disappointments like "Can of Worms," "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century," and the awful "Smart House," to name a few, I didn't think Disney could make a decent TV movie. But here it is! This movie really is genius. Instead of going from cheap comedy and typical overblown plots, Disney made something that is nice and, most importantly, can make this stone-faced critic laugh a lot.
Thirteen-year-old Charlie Boyle is a hockey-loving whiz kid so smart that he has been offered the chance to go to college early, to study, experiment, and even teach. naturally, he has a hard time fitting in with the college students, especially his hockey player roommate, who is in the physics class Charlie teaches. One day, he meets a girl and falls instantly in love, but, always being seen as a nerd and not having much success in the past with such matters, he pretends to be a trouble-maker and enrolls at the junior high the girl attends. Thus begins the fun as Charlie must constantly switch from one identity to the next so his lie is not discovered.
So how did Disney do it? How did they make something funny? Well, the cast is great, especially young Trevor Morgan as Charlie, who has some very clever and quick lines. A script that doesn't fall into embarrassing, unfunny, cliched situations for another, which is so typical for this type of Disney movie. Then again, maybe it was a science experiment they tried with a completely accidental result. If so, then hooray for science! Zanatos's score: 9/10!
Thirteen-year-old Charlie Boyle is a hockey-loving whiz kid so smart that he has been offered the chance to go to college early, to study, experiment, and even teach. naturally, he has a hard time fitting in with the college students, especially his hockey player roommate, who is in the physics class Charlie teaches. One day, he meets a girl and falls instantly in love, but, always being seen as a nerd and not having much success in the past with such matters, he pretends to be a trouble-maker and enrolls at the junior high the girl attends. Thus begins the fun as Charlie must constantly switch from one identity to the next so his lie is not discovered.
So how did Disney do it? How did they make something funny? Well, the cast is great, especially young Trevor Morgan as Charlie, who has some very clever and quick lines. A script that doesn't fall into embarrassing, unfunny, cliched situations for another, which is so typical for this type of Disney movie. Then again, maybe it was a science experiment they tried with a completely accidental result. If so, then hooray for science! Zanatos's score: 9/10!
One of their best movies so far!
MMiicchheellllee11 July 2005
Usually, Disney characters have never had much appeal to me. If I ever saw a Disney movie come on screen in my house, I admit I automatically wouldn't hesitate to change the channel. When I was younger, and much more naive, I used to believe all that soppy, lovey-dovey crap that Disney used to feed me, but now I'm much older and more mature, I think Disney's new 'modern' shows and movies suck. However, I was watching television with my young sister, and she flicked the channel over to Disney when I went to get her a drink. When I came back...soft music started coming on and the title for this movie 'Genius' came on, and then the credits showed that this movie was made by Disney. As you can imagine, my first reaction was 'Change the Channel, quickly!' but my sister, who is only eight, insisted that we watch this movie. Me, being older, decided that one little Disney movie couldn't hurt, and I was supposed to be looking after her, so it would be best not to fight. And hey, I thought, I could always walk out of the room or fall asleep if it got too bad. Anywho, I started watching the movie, and, as it went along, I became more interested in the whole plot of things. The storyline was great, and the characters suited their on-screen characters so well. Trevor Morgan as Charlie was perfect! He plays his character so well...and overall the movie was fantastic. My sister and I were laughing so hard, and I actually enjoyed it so much, I went straight on the Internet and bought it off the Internet. It's by far the best movies Disney ever made, and I take my hat off to them. Two thumbs up guys!
Excellent family fare in the longstanding Disney tradition...
Cari-823 August 1999
Disney continues to garner praise for family films, this time for "Genius", a well-conceived, well-paced, delightful comedy with a talented cast. Essentially, this is a story about growing up and feeling the need to belong-- with a twist of slapstick, mistaken identity, college hockey and a particle beam accelerator. Quite an accomplishment.
In the tradition of Merlin Jones--probably Disney's most famous teen genius (see The Monkey's Uncle and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones)--we meet Charlie Boyle, our hero, obsessed with hockey, physics, and fitting in. Trevor Morgan is wonderful in this dual role as Charlie/Chaz...he has a lot of presence for a kid his age, and a lot of promise. Emmy Rossum is very charming and natural as Claire Addison--sweet and tomboyish, she lends a little romance to story. The always incomparable Charles Fleischer is featured as Dr. Krickstein, giving a great performance as Charlie's hero, mentor and friend, and showing of his rollerblading skills in the process...
I'd love to see Disney team up Charlie, Claire and Dr. Krickstein again...there's endless adventure potential here! Take advantage of it!
In the tradition of Merlin Jones--probably Disney's most famous teen genius (see The Monkey's Uncle and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones)--we meet Charlie Boyle, our hero, obsessed with hockey, physics, and fitting in. Trevor Morgan is wonderful in this dual role as Charlie/Chaz...he has a lot of presence for a kid his age, and a lot of promise. Emmy Rossum is very charming and natural as Claire Addison--sweet and tomboyish, she lends a little romance to story. The always incomparable Charles Fleischer is featured as Dr. Krickstein, giving a great performance as Charlie's hero, mentor and friend, and showing of his rollerblading skills in the process...
I'd love to see Disney team up Charlie, Claire and Dr. Krickstein again...there's endless adventure potential here! Take advantage of it!
Genius Is A Genius Of A Film
tampuopolo26 June 2017
I watched Genius , reliving my memories! Trevor Morgan was perfect for the role of Charlie. He had looks, charm, personality, wit and ha stealth at times just being so darn sneaky :)
But then you have his Genius side, his most perfect side, like it was made for him. I was so inspired by the movie that I instantly started looking up "Swiss" from 1997 of splitting the photon, and also "Eureka" and seeing if that was tied with Archimedes where The Doc explained where you could be not able to solve something, take your mind off it, than BAMB! Eureka! It hits you.
So I wanted to see if those facts were true, also the part with defying gravity like they did with microchips of some kind...where one does the others would be force to do. I know it's Disney and its a movie, but often times if they do their research, I'd like to think they got the science right. It's like Ice Princess when Casey was doing Physics...I heard she got most of the calculation wrong..if so, what part did they miss..it's a tricky subject, but I'd like to know more, and this movie and Ice Princess has opened my eyes to further exploration. Perfect movie and a joy to watch...by the way...Claire's skating is magnificent lol.
But then you have his Genius side, his most perfect side, like it was made for him. I was so inspired by the movie that I instantly started looking up "Swiss" from 1997 of splitting the photon, and also "Eureka" and seeing if that was tied with Archimedes where The Doc explained where you could be not able to solve something, take your mind off it, than BAMB! Eureka! It hits you.
So I wanted to see if those facts were true, also the part with defying gravity like they did with microchips of some kind...where one does the others would be force to do. I know it's Disney and its a movie, but often times if they do their research, I'd like to think they got the science right. It's like Ice Princess when Casey was doing Physics...I heard she got most of the calculation wrong..if so, what part did they miss..it's a tricky subject, but I'd like to know more, and this movie and Ice Princess has opened my eyes to further exploration. Perfect movie and a joy to watch...by the way...Claire's skating is magnificent lol.
wowie!!!!!!!!!
bigd-182 September 1999
Must say it was a fab flick. Trevor Morgan was as steady as ever, combining technique and timing for a flawless performance. Other notables include Yannick Trembley as the strong chinned captain and Darryl Pring as the slightly overpowering but energy filled Bear Berczinski...what a handsome fella...
hottie boy charlie
jenibabe251 November 2006
oh my lord. i absolutely adore this movie. it was most excellent. charlie boyle is a beast. when i first saw it with my grand daughter i was obsessed. i mean it was so well written and the plot line was great. much better than a lot of Disney movies I've seen, with the exception of zenon girl of the 21st century. and brink. and johnny tsunami. i would recommend this movie for anyone who is even considering to watch it. it is a happy tale about a boy struggling to become a man at college at the age of 14. he learns that being cool is not the most important thing. charlies other "person" named chaz is way hott with the exception of his hair and can skeletons dance. two thumbs wayyyy up!
good actors, decent plot
Brandon-3422 August 1999
This movie is what you would typically expect from Disney. The nerdy kid uses science to help his team win ala Flubber. The strange kid-goes-to-high-school-and-college-at-the-same-time plot was a little hard to buy, but asides from that acceptable. My biggest qualm is that the referee didn't consider anything strange about people flying for long periods of time. Asides from that, it was good. The actors, especially Emmy Rossum (Claire), saved this movie from a worse rating. They took what could have been a bad script and made it seem realistic. The writer owes them a debt of gratitude.
This is a wonderful and funny movie.
jaychew7 August 1999
Very good movie
m_hebner9 June 2000
This is a very good movie. Its about this 13 year old boy and he is a nerd and is real smart and is a college teacher. One day he meets this girl and it was love at first sight for him.This movie only comes on the Disney channel. If you have the Disney channel and this movie is on. I suggest you watch it because it is a good movie for the whole family.
A movie with genius worked into the outcome
chrishewittpiano5 January 2003
This movie is about a 13 year old kid who is extremely smart. He is going off to college five years early, and has gotten letters from all of the main colleges. He goes off to one he favors and does not have so good of a time. I guess the movie is overall entertaining in all of the main scenes and sequencing in putting it together. The movie has a lot of people in it, which I am always going on and on about in other reviews. Because a movie with a lot of people in it is one that can be enjoyed by all different types of people because they can relate to the character in the movie because there are profuseness amounts of people that are of anomalous personalities and styles.
I like the basic structure of the movie, how it flows, the ending and how the characters act. I know that sometimes actors and actresses may have to do actions on television that they may not really want to do, and that could be one of the things that happened in this movie. There were a few spots that seemed like they would never happen, not that it was impossible, just that no one would ever do that particular scene. The college students in the film are really sarcastic and do well doing so. The thing that I like about this movie is how there is a lot of sneaking around going on. How the main character does something drastic to improve how he would be thought of by his students and his peers. This movie deals a lot with how people are thought of by others. About fitting in with the people that you want to be with, and not with the people that you have to be with.
I liked how all of the actors and actresses acted, with an understanding of their character and knowing how to act like someone of who they are not. I cannot think of anyone who did not do their optimum level of acting that was expected by the viewers, meaning that all of the people in the film did okay, or above okay. This is not a kind of typical film with everything so perfect it is just dull to watch, this movie possesses a sense of knowing what the plot is centered on. The writer of this movie obviously knew about what he was writing about, and not just guessing how the lives of teens and young adults act. There is some doubt in this movie. Not the predictable type, but the type where you actually don't know what will happen, unless something like a miracle appears. Furthermore, being that this is a Disney Channel Original movie, and not having spent a whole lot of time on it, I give this movie an 8.5 out of 10. The reason is because the movie could have been better in some ways, but it also had its good points.
I like the basic structure of the movie, how it flows, the ending and how the characters act. I know that sometimes actors and actresses may have to do actions on television that they may not really want to do, and that could be one of the things that happened in this movie. There were a few spots that seemed like they would never happen, not that it was impossible, just that no one would ever do that particular scene. The college students in the film are really sarcastic and do well doing so. The thing that I like about this movie is how there is a lot of sneaking around going on. How the main character does something drastic to improve how he would be thought of by his students and his peers. This movie deals a lot with how people are thought of by others. About fitting in with the people that you want to be with, and not with the people that you have to be with.
I liked how all of the actors and actresses acted, with an understanding of their character and knowing how to act like someone of who they are not. I cannot think of anyone who did not do their optimum level of acting that was expected by the viewers, meaning that all of the people in the film did okay, or above okay. This is not a kind of typical film with everything so perfect it is just dull to watch, this movie possesses a sense of knowing what the plot is centered on. The writer of this movie obviously knew about what he was writing about, and not just guessing how the lives of teens and young adults act. There is some doubt in this movie. Not the predictable type, but the type where you actually don't know what will happen, unless something like a miracle appears. Furthermore, being that this is a Disney Channel Original movie, and not having spent a whole lot of time on it, I give this movie an 8.5 out of 10. The reason is because the movie could have been better in some ways, but it also had its good points.
It was a good Disney movie!
Irishchatter11 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The reason why I got to watch this movie had Emmy Rossum in this and the story had kinda a inspirited "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" feeling to it, except the kid didn't use potion this time to look handsome! This Disney film really would excite kids in watching this because it is rather a good entertainment for all ages and they would seriously get glued into it!
It was great to see Emmy Rossum as a teenager, she really looks gorgeous as usual, no wonder Trevor Morgan's character fell head over heels for her. Although I am kinda disappointed that it was a quick kiss and not a romantic kind one! Maybe they thought cooties were still the issue so they just be quick about it and get it over with haha!
This movie isn't the best but its definitely not one of the worst! I give this film 8/10!
It was great to see Emmy Rossum as a teenager, she really looks gorgeous as usual, no wonder Trevor Morgan's character fell head over heels for her. Although I am kinda disappointed that it was a quick kiss and not a romantic kind one! Maybe they thought cooties were still the issue so they just be quick about it and get it over with haha!
This movie isn't the best but its definitely not one of the worst! I give this film 8/10!
GREAT MOVIE!
wendy_17_fairy1 August 2000
what i great movie after i saw it I just went wow, what a great movie! Trevor morgan was very cute in it and played a very belivible charactor as Charlie Boyle, a young kid who wishes to have new life instead of the one he has today. I think that it was also cute when they added the Backstreet Boys CD to the movie. The best Disney Channel originol movie
I mean it was cute
hmusol22 July 2020
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