Flash of Genius More Like Splash of Rain

I was excited to go see the preview of Flash of Genius because it had two actors that I really admire and think are talented: Greg Kinnear and Lauren Graham. I also enjoy period films that really get into the details. This film gets that right, and I was savoring images of a dining table set with vintage bowls of mashed potatoes and vegetables. The auto show also seemed vivid, real.

But, really, it is difficult to make an interesting 90 minute feature film about windshield wipers. Which is what this film boils down to. It tries to be an old fashioned, man against the system movie, but doesn’t really go all the way with that. I kept thinking, if only someone like Jimmy Stewart were in the lead, maybe it could have worked. Also, the film totally wastes the talent of Lauren Graham, who plays the smiley, smarmy wife who leaves the man she loves (and the majority of the movie) because of his craziness. An increased role for her would have boosted the film, but it spends too much time focusing on the actual process of one man, a professor, trying to fight one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world (Ford Motor Co).

Which in itself could be interesting because, it is based on a true story, and the man did give up so much of his life to prove his point. A combination of poor script and weak leading performance by Kinnear, though, leave this great idea a predictable, blah. I think the film should have presented more human interest; more follow through on the impact of his wife and children, more on what happened to his career as a professor, and more on the emotional drive (or whatever thought processes) led the man to continue on.

On the other hand, if the writer wanted to develop this into a real study of the legal aspects of this case, we needed more points of view, more press reactions, more of a relationship built up with the young law students and interns helping him. The courtroom scenes are good, but you have to suffer through about 40 minutes of boringdom to get to them. In short, the film has a dynamic opening and a classic finish, strong supporting players who are underutilized, and a bulk that is nothing special, and only appealing to a few nerdy types.