Flash of Genius Review

I like movies that have an historical context, and Flash of Genius seems to fit that category. It's the true story of how an engineer named Robert Kearns (played by Greg Kinnear) invented what we now call intermittent windshield wipers, only to have his invention stolen by Ford and other big auto companies.

The film starts with a rather disheveled Kearns being gently removed from a bus, complaining that he has an appointment with the vice president of the US. He doesn't, of course, and he's led off to the looney bin to recover. The film then flashes back to three years earlier, and we learn how Kearns ended up on that bus. We also learn what happens after Kearns recovers from his stay at a mental hospital, eventually taking Ford to court for stealing his patented circuit.

Kearns is enough of a pest to Ford that the company starts offering him increasing amounts of money to convince Kearns to drop the litigation. However, Kearns wants Ford to admit publically that the company stole his patent, something that Ford will not do. Therefore, the legal work dragged on for many years, costing Kearns his marriage and the respect of his children. Eventually, there is a courtroom scene where the obvious happens.

Flash of Genius is not a bad film but its ending is a foregone conclusion and not particularly exciting. Everything about Flash of Genius is competent but not especially outstanding. That said, I thought it was good enough for an evening's entertainment, particularly since I have an interest in history, engineering and the process of invention.

For a movie that spanned many years of legal maneuverings and which has a courtroom result, there's not all that much time spent in the courtroom. Flash of Genius is a courtroom drama with minimal time in the courtroom and not much drama. Before the first swish of a windshield wiper across a window in this film, you know what the ending will be. The fun is in getting there, and there's not a lot of fun in Flash of Genius. It's a good film... decent, honest and straightforward. But there's not much excitement and the ending is somewhat anticlimactic. More time in the courtroom would have helped and a better "eureka!" moment when Kearns figured out how to make the wiper work would have help viewers better buy into Kearns' ownership of the intermittent wiper concept.

Rated PG-13, there is some rough language in Flash of Genius and some bedroom suggestions between husband and wife. The film is probably fine for anyone 13 and older.

I enjoyed Flash of Genius but this is not a great film. It's an okay film, with some good 1960s and 1970s ambiance. It's about an honest but troubled man, who finally gets what he deserves. I'll say that it's a 3.5-star film but not strong enough for four stars.