Flash of Genius (2008)

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

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Greg Kinnear	...	Bob Kearns
Tim Eddis	...	Maryland Cop #1
Warren Belle	...	Maryland Cop #2
Karl Pruner	...	Pete
Bill Lake	...	Scott
Dermot Mulroney	...	Gil Previck
Lauren Graham	...	Phyllis Kearns
Landon Norris	...	Young Dennis
Shae Norris	...	Young Kathy
Steven Woodworth	...	Young Tim
Victoria Learn	...	Young Maureen
Dylan Authors	...	Young Patrick
Ronn Sarosiak	...	Reverend
Gavin Kuiack	...	Baby Bob Jr.
Ben Kuiak	...	Baby Bob 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. | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

Convocation Hall, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Remained in theaters for only three weeks.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As the Kearns family is proposing a toast in the diner (celebrating his invention), you can see a white 2008 Acura pulling out of the garage across the street.

Movie Connections:

References Frankenstein (1931)

Soundtrack:

Praise to the Lord, The Almighty, The King of Creation

It's About Giving Credit To The Right Person For The Effort And Hardwork

I, for one, strongly oppose any kind of plagiarism because nobody has the right to steal someone else's work and claim it to be theirs. 'Flash of Genius' tells the heartbreaking story of inventer Dr. Kearns. While windshield wipers may sound like a small thing that hardly many give consideration to (as Kearns's friends have told him), it's not a matter of the object at hand but the effort that went behind it and why should credit go to somebody else? I admire Kearns for putting up a fight and keeping up the battle for justice and even though it cost him his family, he fought to the end. I'm surprised as to how little recognition 'Flash of Genius' received considering that the story is extremely relevant even for today's world.

The director does a splendid job in telling this moving story. Greg Kinnear delivers a heartfelt lowkeyed performance which is among one of the best of his career. Unfortunately, he remains an underrated actor but I hope he keeps making the wise film choices and gets his due soon. Lauren Graham is wonderfully restrained and marvelous but she's risking getting typecast (she's played supportive wife in two other recent movies 'Evan Almighty' and 'Birds of America'). Dermot Mulroney too stands out as Privick.

Where the technical department is concerned, the director has used a lot of subtlety with the cinematography, soundtrack and visuals. It is only later that we realize what an important symbol rain is in this movie. The washed out colour adds to the tense, stressful and sad atmosphere. 'Flash of Genius' is definitely a worthy watch not only because it tells an engaging story but a very relevant one.