Flash of Genius (2008)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Marc Abraham

Writers (WGA):

Philip Railsback (written by)
John Seabrook (article)

Release Date:

3 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Corporations have time, money, and power on their side. All Bob Kearns had was the truth.

Plot:

Robert Kearns takes on the Detroit automakers who he claims stole his idea for the intermittent windshield wiper.

Plot Keywords:

Professor | Teacher | Automobile Industry | Automobile | Inventor

Cast

Greg Kinnear	...	Bob Kearns
Tim Eddis	...	Maryland Cop #1
Warren Belle	...	Maryland Cop #2
Karl Pruner	...	Pete
Bill Lake	...	Scott
Dermot Mulroney	...	Gil Privick
Lauren Graham	...	Phyllis Kearns
Landon Norris	...	Young Dennis Kearns
Shae Norris	...	Young Kathy Kearns
Steven Woodworth	...	Young Tim Kearns
Victoria Learn	...	Young Maureen Kearns
Dylan Authors	...	Young Pat Kearns
Ronn Sarosiak	...	Reverend
Gavin Kuiack	...	Baby Bob Kearns Jr
Ben Kuiak	...	Baby Bob Kearns Jr.

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Runtime:

USA:119 min | Canada:119 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44181) | Australia:PG | UK:12A | Ireland:PG | France:U | Germany:o.Al.

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Universal Pictures

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Dr. Kearns's first patent for intermittent wipers was filed on December 1, 1964. Ford already had a system in production by 1965, same year of the car he drives in the start of the movie. They were sold on Mercurys and Comets. They were mechanical vacuum bleed timing devices, but worked well over a wide range of delay.

Movie Connections:

References Frankenstein (1931)

Soundtrack:

Praise To The Lord, The Almighty, The King of Creation

Admirable For Scientific Information

One of the outstanding virtues of this movie is the didactic sections, informing audiences a little about electrical circuits without interrupting the story. Inventor Bob Kearns and, later, an attorney representing Ford Motor Co. both talk about capacitors and resistors lightly. It enables lay folk to get a peek inside their electrical and electronic devices, even to "spark" curiosity in some viewers. Some of our general fiction literature but our general fiction films rarely are didactic about science, even though they have the capacity to teach--one thinks of John Steinbeck, of Herman Melville before him, and of some contemporary novelists, too.